South Oxfordshire has become a hub for new data centre developments.

The district recorded the highest number of planning applications for data centres in England between 2021 and 2026, according to data collected through Freedom of Information requests by 2580 Group.

South Oxfordshire District Council received seven applications during this period, approving six of them.

Sheffield City Council and Buckinghamshire Council each received six applications, the next highest figures among responding councils.

Michael Scott, director at 2580 Group, said: “Data centres are a critical part of our national infrastructure.

 

“These sites provide the power and capacity needed to run the digital tools that businesses and consumers now rely on every day, from the internet and apps like Instagram and Facebook to CRMs and Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Claude.

 

“As demand grows, developers, investors and councils will need to think carefully about where new data centres are built and how they are delivered.”

Of the 50 councils that provided data, a total of 84 data centre planning applications were recorded, with 54 approvals.

Applications have risen sharply in recent years, doubling from 13 in 2024 to 26 in 2025.

Mr Scott said the trend is likely to continue and highlighted the importance of meeting industry standards.

South Oxfordshire has recorded the highest number of applications in England, with seven proposals submitted between 2021 and 2026.

Of these, six were approved, according to findings from 2580 Group.

This figure led the nation among councils that responded to freedom of information requests from 2580 Group, with Sheffield and Buckinghamshire each receiving six applications.

Nationally, 50 councils reported a total of 84 data centre applications submitted during the period, with 54 receiving approval.

In 2025, applications doubled to 26 from 13 in 2024, which itself was up from nine in 2023.

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