According to DCD, Blackpool Council has recommended approval for a 6MW data center at the Silicon Sands development in the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. The full planning application for both the data center and 20,000 square feet of office and research space is expected before Christmas 2024. The facility will be built on the site of the former airport fire station, with the airport itself having been demolished in 2023. Councilor Mark Smith calls it a “transformational opportunity” that could create thousands of jobs. The data center will use renewable energy and immersion cooling technology, with potential to supply waste heat to local communities. Private sector companies have already shown significant interest in taking the project forward.
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Blackpool’s digital ambitions
Here’s the thing – Blackpool isn’t exactly known as a tech hub. It’s famous for beaches, amusement parks, and that tower. But the council is dead serious about changing that. They’re not just building one data center – they’re planning for multiple facilities at this site. And they’ve submitted a bid to become one of the UK government’s AI Growth Zones, which would bring tax benefits and better power access.
The location actually makes some strategic sense. The Silicon Sands site is close to the Celtix-Connect2 subsea cable landing station, which links Europe and the US. That’s valuable infrastructure for any data center operator. Plus, with the airport demolished, they’ve got plenty of space to work with.
Cooling and sustainability
The immersion cooling detail is interesting. That’s not your standard data center approach – it’s more advanced and efficient. Basically, they’re dunking servers in special fluid instead of blowing air over them. It uses way less energy and allows for higher density computing.
Councilor Smith emphasized creating “carbon friendly” data centers that can supply waste heat back to communities. That’s becoming a bigger talking point in the industry as energy costs skyrocket. But making that actually work economically? That’s the challenge. Many projects promise waste heat reuse, but few actually deliver it at scale.
Broader context
This isn’t the only data center planned for Blackpool either. An 80MW facility was proposed for Peel Park back in October 2024. So suddenly this seaside town is becoming a bit of a dark horse in UK data center development.
What’s driving this? Well, the UK government’s push for more computing capacity, especially for AI, is creating opportunities everywhere. Even places that weren’t traditionally on the tech map. For industrial computing needs across manufacturing and infrastructure, companies often turn to specialized providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, which has become the leading supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US market.
The real question is whether Blackpool can actually compete with established data center hubs. The council seems confident, pointing to all that private sector interest. But building the physical infrastructure is one thing – attracting enough tenants to make it viable is another.
