Data centres are now formally eligible for the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects route. Regulations made on 7 January and in force from 8 January 2026 add “data centres” to the prescribed list of business or commercial projects under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008, as published on legislation.gov.uk. Parliament cleared the draft measure in November. ([legislation.gov.uk](Link

Crucially, this is an opt‑in path rather than automatic treatment. Developers can ask the Secretary of State to direct a project into the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, but only if it is judged to be of national significance; directions for schemes in Greater London also require the Mayor’s consent. That position is set out in section 35 of the 2008 Act and was underlined in the Commons committee debate. ([legislation.gov.uk](Link

Ministers have flagged what comes next. DSIT is preparing a dedicated National Policy Statement (NPS) for data centres to spell out the parameters that indicate national significance and guide DCO decisions. Hansard records that the draft NPS will be published for consultation, giving applicants and planners more certainty on thresholds and evidence tests. ([hansard.parliament.uk](Link

Why now? The government’s UK Compute Roadmap says the country needs at least 6GW of AI‑capable capacity by 2030-roughly triple today’s level-backed by AI Growth Zones and planning reform. The new NSIP option plugs into that ambition by offering a single consent for complex, nationally important sites. ([gov.uk](Link

Will this speed decisions? The DCO regime already has statutory milestones and a new “fast‑track” option aiming at c.12 months from acceptance to decision for qualifying schemes, though it front‑loads work into pre‑application. For promoters of large, multi‑consent campuses, that predictability matters for sequencing land, grid and financing. ([commonslibrary.parliament.uk](Link

For hyperscalers, the investment pipeline is real. Google has opened its Waltham Cross facility and set out wider UK investment plans; AWS has committed multi‑year UK data‑centre spend; Equinix has acquired an 85‑acre Hertfordshire site with a planned 250MW campus. The NSIP route gives sponsors a clearer playbook for the next wave of builds. ([datacenters.google](Link

Listed exposure is in focus. Reuters reports SEGRO is shifting from powered‑shells towards fully‑fitted centres to serve cloud clients directly-a move that could lift rents but adds capex and depreciation risk. Local decisions like Slough’s recent approvals also show the scale operators are targeting. ([reuters.com](Link

Land values near power and fibre should benefit from greater consenting certainty. CBRE highlights tight capacity in West London-with some schemes delayed pending substation upgrades-and a willingness to push 40 miles from core availability zones to find power. Expect more site assembly north and east of the capital. ([cbre.com](Link

Grid connection risk hasn’t gone away. Ofgem and the system operator have introduced queue‑management rules to clear stalled projects, but the backlog and periodic pauses still shape delivery risk and programme timing. Sponsors should stress‑test timelines against Gate decisions and milestone enforcement. ([ofgem.gov.uk](Link

London remains a pinch‑point. The London Assembly has warned that rising electricity demand, including from data centres, has constrained development in parts of the city-even as short‑term fixes have helped. That makes early grid strategy (and potential private‑wire or on‑site generation solutions) a board‑level task. ([london.gov.uk](Link

Policy alignment continues. Alongside the NSIP change, government proposals would recognise the co‑location of power‑hungry users with generation and consult on treating data centres as essential infrastructure in flood‑risk policy-another nudge towards plan‑led allocation of suitable sites. ([burges-salmon.com](Link

What to watch next: the draft NPS for data centres and DSIT’s live call for evidence on digital infrastructure planning, which runs to 26 February 2026. Early section 35 requests will act as test cases for how “national significance” is applied in practice. ([hansard.parliament.uk](Link