Blackpool forges ahead with first £60m data centre at Silicon Sands
A planning application for a 40,000 sq ft facility providing 6MW of capacity is expected this side of Christmas and would mark the most significant step yet for the ambitious 50-acre campus.
Silicon Sands’ first data centre, expected to cost somewhere between £60m and £80m, would also feature 20,000 sq ft of ancillary office space.
It would be constructed on the site of the old fire station and engineering yard at Blackpool Airport, which was demolished in 2023. The council acquired the land using a £2m devolution grant.
The scheme is being billed as a technology exemplar as it would pioneer the use of liquid immersion cooling technology alongside sustainable energy supply and a district heating system.
The Silicon Sands masterplan makes provision for two more data centres of 10MW and 30MW capacity.
Cllr Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for economy and built environment, said: “Silicon Sands is a transformational opportunity for Blackpool. It can create thousands of well-paid jobs, attract investment, and put us at the forefront of sustainable digital development.
“That vision is proven by the significant interest we have had from the private sector already.
“Silicon Sands is about so much more than just data centres though. We are carefully managing the programme so that we can create data centres which are carbon friendly, and can even supply waste heat back to local communities.”
The scheme is a priority regeneration initiative for Blackpool Council and would be constructed with the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. The council estimates the potential GVA boost at a whopping £14bn.
Such is the scale of the ambition, the council has put the campus forward for AI Growth Zone status.
The idea was born out of the arrival of the transatlantic Aquacomms fibre cable, which affords some of the fastest internet speeds in the world.
The council has reported “significant” interest from private investors in the data centre opportunity. There were more than 80 expressions of interest following the market testing exercise launched in May 2024.
This has now been whittled down to seven bids that will inform the procurement process for a development partner.
