Birketts’ data centres team brings together lawyers from across our energy and infrastructure, real estate, planning, construction, and commercial teams to support clients involved in data centre projects, from the planning stage, all the way through to construction, operation, commissioning.
Data centres play an increasingly important role in the UK’s digital and energy infrastructure, often involving complex land, power, planning, and regulatory considerations. Our team works with local authorities, developers, landowners, investors, and operators to provide clear legal support at each stage of a project, from site acquisition through to construction and operation.
We advise on a broad range of issues relevant to data centre projects, including land rights, consents, option and lease arrangements, planning and environmental matters, grid connections, power supply, and the coordination of multiple stakeholders across a development site. Our lawyers also support commercial arrangements associated with data centre projects, including procurement methods, construction and commissioning documents, service agreements, and operational contracts.
As this area continues to evolve, we focus on helping clients navigate emerging challenges around energy demand, sustainability, and infrastructure capacity, providing pragmatic advice that reflects the technical and commercial realities of data centre development.
By drawing on expertise from across the firm, our data centres group offers a joined up approach designed to support projects that sit at the intersection of digital connectivity and energy infrastructure.
Our Experience
Acting for the developer and operator of a 500+ MW data centre in connection with the construction documentation. This will be one of the largest data centres in Europe.
Advising the local authority in relation to the bespoke section 106 obligations for a data centre and ecology park on the edge of London. The scheme is being brought forward through a Local Development Order (LDO), under which planning permission is granted in principle to accelerate the delivery of key infrastructure.
Advising a large distribution network operator in connection with the construction of a new data centre.
Acting for the local authorities regarding the planning permission and the s.106 agreements for two data centres for a multinational tech company, to include how the s106 agreements deal with capturing the waste hot water from the data centre and the potential for a utility company to use that water to help power homes in the local area.
Key Contacts
