The Strategic Planning Committee of Havering Council met on Tuesday 3 March 2026 to discuss the East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order (LDO). The committee voted to agree the publication of the draft LDO, Statement of Reasons, Environmental Statement, and associated documents for consultation. They also agreed to the publication of the Environmental Statement and its Non-Technical Summary for consultation.

East Havering Data Centre Campus Local Development Order

The committee discussed the proposed East Havering Data Centre Campus Local Development Order (LDO), which would grant planning permission for up to 400,000 square metres of development. This includes data centre floorspace, indoor horticulture facilities, a district heating energy centre, electrical substations, distribution infrastructure, a visitor's centre, and an ecology park. The LDO is being promoted by the London Borough of Havering to support the UK Government's aspirations for data capacity and security, and to contribute to economic growth.

The committee debated the need for data centres, with evidence suggesting a substantial growth in demand across London. The report highlighted the significant constraints on power availability, particularly in core locations, pushing demand beyond traditional Availability Zones. An assessment of alternative sites concluded that the East Havering site was the only demonstrably available and potentially suitable location for a hyperscale data centre campus within the required timescale.

Significant weight was attached to the harm to the Green Belt, with the development being classified as inappropriate development. However, the committee considered that the overwhelming need for data centre floorspace, the lack of alternative sites, and the absence of a plan-led solution constituted very special circumstances that clearly outweighed the identified harms.

The proposal was considered to be in accordance with the London Plan and the Havering Local Plan taken as a whole. The planning balance was found to be in favour of the development, considering the development plan alone, and when considered in light of the NPPF taken as a whole, and other material considerations, the planning benefits of making the LDO were reinforced.

The LDO is accompanied by a Section 106 agreement which secures a number of obligations, including management and access to the Ecology Park, delivery and use of the visitor's centre, implementation and monitoring of the Landscape and Ecological Management Plan, Green Belt mitigation compensation, delivery of mitigation for skylark, delivery of the horticultural facility and use of waste heat, contribution to a district heating network feasibility study, contribution towards carbon offset schemes, submission of as-built energy performance estimates for all buildings, requirement to enter into a s278 agreement to deliver highway works, delivery of a shuttle bus and coach services, implementation and monitoring of the Travel Plan, Travel Plan levy, submission of a car park management plan, contribution to active travel, public transport contribution, accessible transportation provision, and contributions towards the making good of construction traffic routes.

The committee voted to agree the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order, Statement of Reasons and associated documents for consultation pursuant to Article 38 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (as amended). They also agreed the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement for consultation pursuant to the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended). The consultation period is proposed to run between Friday 6th March and Tuesday 7th April 2026.

Land North of Fen Lane, North Ockendon

The committee also considered an application for Land North of Fen Lane, North Ockendon. This item related to the East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order statement of reasons and associated documents.

The committee voted to agree the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order, Statement of Reasons and associated documents for consultation. They also agreed the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement for consultation. The consultation period is proposed to run between Friday 6th March and Tuesday 7th April 2026.

The committee voted by five votes to none, with one abstention, to agree the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order statement of reasons and associated documents for consultation. They then voted by four votes to none, with two abstentions, to agree the publication of the East Havering Data Centre Campus Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary for consultation.

The meeting concluded with the Chair thanking members and officers for their contributions.

Key Decisions Made:

• Publication of East Havering Data Centre Campus Draft Local Development Order, Statement of Reasons and associated documents for consultation: Agreed.
• Publication of East Havering Data Centre Campus Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary for consultation: Agreed.

The consultation period for these documents will run from Friday 6th March to Tuesday 7th April 2026.

The meeting concluded with the Chair thanking members and officers for their contributions.