Summary
- Residents have challenged aspects of the Durham Technology Park proposal following November consultation meetings.
- Tract proposes up to seven buildings and a possible 500MW electricity requirement.
- The developer expects to submit an outline planning application in December.
Residents near South Hetton in County Durham have raised concerns about noise, traffic, and water supplies following public consultation on Tract‘s proposed Durham Technology Park data centre campus.
The objections emerged after consultation meetings held on 6 and 9 November, with local reporting on 11 November detailing residents’ reservations about the scale of the development and its potential effects on surrounding communities.
The proposed campus would occupy land between South Hetton, Murton, and Easington Lane, with an electricity requirement potentially reaching 500MW.
Tract has already outlined the development’s initial layout and infrastructure requirements. The latest development concerns the public response to those plans rather than a newly increased capacity figure or additional construction commitment.
The developer is targeting submission of an outline planning application to Durham County Council in December 2026.
The proposed layout includes up to seven data centre buildings, a logistics facility, internal roads, parking, landscaping, surface water storage, and supporting electricity infrastructure.
Two principal vehicle entrances and a separate emergency access route are envisaged.
The company also proposes an on-site electricity substation intended to connect to National Grid infrastructure at Hawthorn Pit.
The nearby transmission infrastructure offers a potential connection route, but the developer has not established that the full proposed 500MW is already connected or available for immediate use.
The distinction between an intended connection and an operational electricity supply will be important as the project progresses.
A data centre campus with several large buildings requires coordinated electrical distribution, cooling infrastructure, maintenance access, and resilient operation.
Those requirements can affect the surrounding area during construction as well as once the site is operational.
Construction traffic is one of the concerns residents have identified. Building large facilities involves deliveries of structural materials, high-voltage equipment, generators, cooling systems, and other specialist components.
The construction programme would need to establish suitable routes and assess traffic effects on nearby communities.
Operational noise presents a different question.
Data centres generally contain mechanical plant that can operate continuously, including fans, pumps, chillers, and electrical equipment.
Noise levels at neighbouring properties depend on equipment selection, building layout, acoustic treatment, and operating conditions.
The consultation has also prompted questions about the development’s water requirements.
Cooling design has not been finalised, and the selected system will influence whether the facility requires substantial quantities of water for heat rejection.
Some cooling arrangements primarily use air, while others can use evaporative equipment or combinations of technologies.
The relative consumption of electricity and water must be assessed against the expected computing loads and local operating conditions.
A final environmental assessment should therefore identify the proposed equipment and the resources needed under realistic operating scenarios, rather than relying solely on the campus’s overall electrical capacity.
Tract’s project information confirms that detailed technical assessments are still being prepared.
These will accompany the outline application, allowing the council to examine the development’s environmental, transport, and infrastructure implications.
The initial consultation is intended to inform those documents and the Statement of Community Involvement.
From consultation to planning
The proposed 500MW electrical requirement is substantial, but it remains a development estimate.
No operating data centre customer has been confirmed for the entire campus, and the project has not received planning permission.
The actual construction programme will depend on consent, investment, grid connection arrangements, and demand for completed facilities.
Tract has outlined potential employment and investment benefits, but the permanent workforce and construction activity will depend on the project reaching delivery.
The proposed location also lies within a region experiencing significant changes to its electricity and industrial infrastructure.
Grid upgrades, renewable generation, and energy storage developments create opportunities for new industrial activity, but can also place pressure on land, roads, and other local resources.
The effect of the proposed campus must therefore be assessed against the infrastructure and environmental conditions of its particular location.
Following submission of the outline application, Durham County Council is expected to undertake its own consultation, giving residents another opportunity to examine and comment on the finalised planning documents.
The current objections establish issues that the developer will need to address before determination.
They do not amount to a planning refusal, nor do they demonstrate that the proposed campus has secured the electricity capacity required for operation.
Tract’s next milestone is submission of the outline application, when the technical assessments should provide a firmer basis for evaluating the scale and effects of Durham Technology Park.
