Leeds venue for £43m data centre

THE UK’s largest independent data centre outside London looks set to be built on Leeds’ South Bank.

Plans from telecoms firm aql for the £43m data centre on part of the former Yorkshire Chemicals land in Hunslet were approved yesterday by Leeds City Council.

aql is working with Leeds and Partners to drive forward the region’s digital strategy.

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Lurene Joseph, Leeds and Partners chief executive, said the data centre sends “a strong message to national and international investors that they can have confidence in our infrastructure”.

The facility, known as DC4, will act as a hub of international networks.

It will allow local companies to rent secure IT storage space and will be used to house computer systems and associated components of aql’s public and private sector clients.

The facility is designed in collaboration with local architects, Garnett Netherwood, to sit within a larger scheme by Yorkshire Design Group. The centre comprises two six-storey buildings totalling 120,000 sq ft of space.