Luxembourg-based real estate business Tyburn RWC Limited has unveiled plans to build a 100,000-square-metre data centre at Charlton Riverside, an industrial area between the River Thames and Woolwich Road, close to the Thames Barrier. The proposed development, equivalent to the size of 14 football pitches, would require the demolition of three locally listed buildings and has emerged just weeks after Greenwich Council announced a partnership to transform the area into a residential and commercial hub.
Proposal Details and Size
Tyburn RWC has not yet submitted a full planning application but has requested an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion from Greenwich Council. This request seeks a statement outlining how in-depth the full proposal's environmental statement should be. The data centre, including all associated areas such as generator yards, a substation and offices, would total 100,000sqm, with the centre itself occupying 75,000sqm. The development would be built on 15.1 acres of industrial land currently occupied by the VIP Charlton and Stone Foundries trading estates and the CSB Logistics building. Some warehouses are vacant, while others, such as CSB, remain in use.
The Stone Foundry building, standing at 14 metres tall, would be retained as part of the development. However, it would be dwarfed by the new data centre, which would be over twice as tall at 37 metres, with associated plant infrastructure reaching a maximum height of 45 metres. Three-metre-high perimeter fencing would be required for some parts of the site, particularly its southern boundary.
Access and Construction Timeline
Vehicular access to the site would be via the existing western Estate Road from Anchor and Hope Lane, with a new access road also established from Herringham Road to the north. The proposed data centre would have 40 parking spaces to facilitate and support its continuous 24/7 operation. If planning permission is granted, the applicant estimates the centre will take five years to build, from 2028 to 2033.
Planning documents estimate that 64,086 tonnes of waste will be generated from demolition, excavation and construction on the site. It is reckoned that 7,246 tonnes will require disposal to landfill, while the rest will be recycled.
Conflict with Housing and Venue Plans
The data centre plans clash with a recent initiative by Greenwich Council, which launched a new partnership with Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor's office dedicated to transforming Charlton Riverside into a place “where thousands of people can live, work and enjoy the river to its full potential”. The South London authority hopes major public investment will see the creation of 8,000 new homes and 1,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
Additionally, the data centre proposal conflicts with a separate plan to open a 5,000-capacity outdoor events venue on the same industrial estate. The venue plans have received significant backlash from police, a nearby nightclub and Greenwich's own Licensing, Community Protection and Environmental Health teams.
Demolition of Locally Listed Buildings
If the data centre is approved, three locally listed buildings would be demolished to make way for it. All three are part of the Stone Foundries site established by J. Stone Company at Charlton Riverside in 1916. The first is a 1940s three-storey office building in a “restrained Moderne style” that contains a lobby with “an exceptionally well-preserved 1940s interior”. The second is a laboratory building in a similar style, and the third is the Stone Fasteners Building, known as the Odeon Building, which has an “unusual circular corner entrance”. The Jubilee Foundry, J. Stone & Co. Magnesium Foundry and Charlton Ropeworks would also be demolished as part of the data centre proposal.
Greenwich Council has until September 11 to respond to the request for an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion. A full planning application is expected soon after.
