Ministers have given the proposed SDC M40 Campus at Wapseys Wood Landfill Site near Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, access to the UK’s national infrastructure planning regime. The Section 35 direction issued on 16 March 2026 means the scheme can be pursued through a Development Consent Order (DCO).
That is a significant planning decision—but it is not permission to build. The developer must still prepare and submit a DCO application, undergo consultation and examination, and obtain a final decision from the Secretary of State.
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What has been decided?
The Secretary of State has directed that the proposed Wapseys Wood data-centre campus may be treated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008.
The formal project description used by the government is Data Centre Campus, Wapseys Wood, Buckinghamshire. The developer calls it the SDC M40 Campus. The applicant is Slough Holdings UK Limited, identified on the project website as a wholly owned subsidiary of investment funds managed by SDC Capital Partners, LLC.
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The “first” claim needs careful definition. This is the first proposed UK data-centre project reported to have received this new form of ministerial direction into the NSIP/DCO regime after the 2026 reforms. It is not the first NSIP in Buckinghamshire: projects including HS2 and East West Rail already fall within that broader category.
What is the SDC M40 Campus?
The proposal is for three data-centre halls at the Veolia-operated Wapseys Wood Landfill Site, close to Gerrards Cross and the M40. Reporting by Computer Weekly describes the scheme as involving:
- approximately 300MW of data-centre demand;
- a proposed gas-powered energy centre capable of supplying up to 350MW; and
- existing landfill-gas generation at the site of approximately 7.5MW.
These figures describe different parts of the proposal. The project should not be called a “350MW data centre”: around 300MW refers to the proposed data-centre load, while up to 350MW refers to the proposed energy-centre capacity. The 7.5MW figure is existing landfill-gas generation.
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What does NSIP status mean?
Ordinarily, a large development would be considered through the local planning system under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The NSIP route instead allows nationally significant infrastructure proposals to seek consent through a DCO.
In practical terms:
- the project is prepared for a national-level consenting process rather than being decided solely through an ordinary local planning application;
- the Secretary of State will make the final DCO decision;
- the DCO can combine consent for the principal development with associated works and, where justified, certain related powers; and
- the proposal must still undergo environmental assessment, consultation, examination and a final decision.
“Nationally significant” is therefore a statutory planning classification and route. It is not a ministerial finding that the project is financially viable, environmentally acceptable or certain to proceed.
Why can data centres use this route now?
According to the project’s explanation of the planning process, reforms that came into force in early January 2026 enabled data centres to be considered through the NSIP regime.
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This does not mean every large data centre automatically becomes an NSIP. The developer applied under Section 35 in late January, and the Secretary of State then issued the direction in March. The direction makes this project eligible to proceed through the DCO process; it does not itself grant development consent.
Has the data centre been approved?
No. The March decision approved the project’s eligibility to use the national planning route, not the construction scheme.
The project remains at a pre-DCO stage. The developer says technical assessments and environmental-impact-assessment scoping are continuing, with a second consultation planned for later in 2026. The likely sequence is:
- completion of technical studies and environmental assessment work;
- further public consultation;
- submission of the DCO application;
- an acceptance decision on whether the application can proceed;
- formal examination, during which interested parties can make representations; and
- a final decision by the Secretary of State.
Construction can begin only if the required consent is eventually granted and any relevant pre-construction requirements are met.
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Buckinghamshire Council will not make the final decision on an NSIP application, but that does not remove it from the process. The council says on its NSIP information page that it has an important role in reviewing and responding to proposals.
Its involvement can include providing evidence and advice on transport, environmental effects, public rights of way and community impacts; responding to consultations; and participating in the examination. Residents, parish councils and other stakeholders can also engage with the consultation and examination arrangements.
This is why it is more accurate to say that the project will not be decided through the ordinary local-planning route than to say that local authorities or residents have no role. Campaigners may describe the change as bypassing local planning or weakening local democratic control, but those are criticisms of the route, not descriptions of a complete removal of local participation.
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Why is the decision controversial?
The proposal brings together the national case for additional digital infrastructure and several local and environmental concerns.
Foxglove criticised the designation, arguing that it could reduce local democratic influence and facilitate fossil-fuel generation and associated carbon emissions. Those concerns relate particularly to the proposed gas-powered energy centre. The final environmental and technical documents will be important in determining the scheme’s emissions, air-quality, noise and operational impacts.
Other issues likely to be examined include:
- electricity demand and the availability and timing of any grid connection;
- water use and the proposed cooling system;
- noise, traffic and visual effects;
- backup generation and emergency operations;
- carbon emissions and air quality;
- fire safety and suppression systems; and
- the effects of substations, transmission infrastructure and other associated works.
The developer says it is carrying out technical and environmental work and continuing engagement with local residents, Buckinghamshire Council, parish councils and other stakeholders. The existence of consultation does not predetermine the outcome.
Why does the landfill location matter?
Using a former landfill can offer a redevelopment opportunity and may make use of existing site infrastructure, including landfill-gas generation. The site is also close to the established Slough–Hayes data-centre market and major transport links.
But a landfill is not automatically a suitable location for a large industrial campus. The DCO process will need to address matters such as:
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- ground conditions and long-term settlement;
- methane and landfill-gas migration;
- contamination and remediation;
- drainage, flood risk and protection of water resources;
- long-term land-management obligations; and
- safe construction access and traffic management.
The landfill setting may support the case for reusing previously developed land, but it does not by itself make the proposal environmentally sustainable or technically straightforward.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does this fit Buckinghamshire’s wider data-centre growth?
Buckinghamshire is part of the wider Slough–Hayes data-centre market, where access to connectivity, power and customers has attracted major digital infrastructure proposals.
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The council’s draft Local Plan identifies data centres as a modern-economy use and highlights the need to assess electricity, digital connectivity and water supply, as well as landscape and visual effects. Its proposed criteria also address sustainable cooling and heating, renewable and low-carbon energy, fire suppression, evidence of need, and local skills and employment.
The draft policy recognises that data centres may support nationally important data processing and wider economic activity while producing relatively limited direct employment once operational. That tension—large infrastructure and power requirements alongside a relatively small permanent workforce—is part of the local policy debate.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWapseys Wood should also be kept separate from the proposed data-centre scheme at Woodlands Park, Iver. That is a different Buckinghamshire landfill proposal, which proceeded through the ordinary planning and recovered-appeal system and involved a development of up to 72,000 square metres. It is not the SDC M40 Campus.
What should readers watch next?
The most important documents will be the eventual DCO application and its supporting environmental information. They should clarify questions that are not yet settled publicly, including:
- the confirmed grid connection and delivery date;
- how much power would come from the grid and how much from on-site generation;
- the energy centre’s final fuel and operating arrangements;
- water demand and cooling technology;
- landfill-gas, methane, settlement and contamination controls;
- construction and operational employment;
- roads, substations and other associated infrastructure; and
- whether the DCO would request access or compulsory-purchase powers.
Computer Weekly has reported an expected DCO process lasting around six months, but that should not be treated as a guaranteed end-to-end timetable. The process can involve preparation, acceptance, examination and a ministerial decision, and the current project is not yet at the application stage.
The bottom line
The Wapseys Wood project has crossed an important legal threshold: ministers have allowed it to pursue a national infrastructure consent route. It has not crossed the threshold that matters for construction. The proposed 300MW data-centre campus still needs to submit a DCO application, face environmental and public scrutiny, and secure final consent.
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