Data Centre Campus, Ampthill Road, Bedford
On 15 June 2026 the Secretary of State issued a direction under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 requiring this proposed data centre campus at Ampthill Road, Bedford, in Central Bedfordshire, to be consented through a Development Consent Order. This is a designation at the pre-application stage: no application has been examined or decided, and no power capacity figure is published in the direction or decision letter.
Key facts
- Operator / developer
- Questpit Limited
- Location
- Bedford, East of England, United Kingdom
- Status
- Proposed
- Facility type
- Data centre
- AI relevance
- Not stated
Power & grid
- Power
- No capacity figure is published in the Section 35 direction or decision letter. The developer's own marketing describes a 143-acre campus with "power secured through a grid connection and on-site generation" but states no MW or MVA figure, so nothing is recorded.
Planning
- Council
- Central Bedfordshire Council
- Planning route
- DCO / NSIP
- Planning reference
- PCU/NSIP/P0240/3378443 (Section 35 direction)
- Planning decision
- Section 35 direction granted: treated as nationally significant infrastructure requiring a Development Consent Order
- Decision date
- 15 June 2026
Benefits vs drawbacks
Timeline
Section 35 direction granted: the scheme is to be treated as nationally significant infrastructure needing a Development Consent Order.
Source
Reality Score
Sources
- Data Centre Campus, Ampthill Road, Bedford in Central Bedfordshire: Section 35 Direction, Planning Act 2008
Secondary source · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 2026-06-15
- Section 35 direction decision letter, PCU/NSIP/P0240/3378443
Secondary source · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 2026-06-15
- UK government to rule on data center planned for former quarry in Bedfordshire
Secondary source · DatacenterDynamics · July 2026
- Bedford data centre moves into national planning route
Secondary source · Data Central
Last verified
27 September 2026
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