Blackpool Council has taken a major procedural step towards delivering what it describes as the first data centre within the Silicon Sands development at the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.
Procurement move advances scheme
A competitive procurement exercise run under the Procurement Act 2023 has produced a preferred bidder. The council intends to award the contract to HOCHTIEF Data Centre Partner UK Ltd (HOCHTIEF DCPUK), whose submission was judged the most advantageous. That decision is subject to a mandatory standstill period and final governance approvals before a formal contract is signed.
Funding and responsibilities
Under the provisional arrangement, the private sector partner would meet the costs of investment, construction and operation. Blackpool Council, with support from the Lancashire Combined County Authority, has previously worked to assemble the land for the scheme and provided enabling support.
Design, capacity and sustainability features
Outline planning permission has already been granted for a sustainability-focused data centre together with a 20,000 sq ft office and research space. The site benefits from a 6MW electrical supply offer from SP Electricity North West.
The scheme is being promoted as environmentally progressive: planned features include power from renewable energy, the use of closed-loop liquid cooling to improve energy efficiency, and a local heat network designed to reuse waste heat for other nearby properties.
Economic and local impact
Silicon Sands is presented as a flagship business park intended to attract technology and digital firms to the Fylde coast and support investment in artificial intelligence (AI) data infrastructure, renewable energy and innovation-led growth. The council has said the wider programme has the potential to support thousands of high-value jobs across the region both directly and indirectly.
- Preferred bidder: HOCHTIEF Data Centre Partner UK Ltd
- Planned office/research space: 20,000 sq ft
- Electrical supply offer: 6MW from SP Electricity North West
- Estimated wider investment potential: up to £300m
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Preferred bidder | HOCHTIEF DCPUK |
| Office/research space | 20,000 sq ft |
| Electrical supply | 6MW |
| Investment potential | Up to £300m |
The council has said it will publish further information once the standstill period and internal approvals are complete. For residents and local businesses, the immediate practical details to watch for will be the timing of construction, any traffic or planning consents linked to later phases, and recruitment plans for roles created by the new facilities.
As the procurement process concludes, the agreement to proceed with a private sector-led delivery model leaves the council and county authority carrying the early-stage development risk around land assembly while transferring substantial build and operational costs to the contractor.
More details are expected to be released once formal contract award is confirmed following the regulatory standstill and final governance checks.
