Outline planning application for land at Pinewood Nurseries
The application seeks permission for two alternative forms of development
24th August 2026
An outline planning application has been submitted for land at Pinewood Nurseries on Wexham Street (ref: PL/26/06414/OA).
It is important, to note that this application seeks permission for two alternative forms of development:
- Commercial/Warehousing: up to 16,000 sqm of B2/B8 commercial and warehouse floorspace across several units; OR
- Data Centre - up to 40,500 sqm of data-centre floorspace, together with an energy centre of up to 5,000 sqm and a substation of up to 650 sqm.
Why does this matter?
The Parish Council recognises that the existing Pinewood Nurseries site could benefit from improvement. Any redevelopment will have impacts, but the two alternatives are very different in their scale, character and infrastructure requirements.
The smaller commercial/warehouse option could provide an opportunity to tidy and improve the existing site, subject to its detailed planning impacts being acceptable.
The data centre alternative is considerably larger and would bring very different requirements for electricity/ gas plant, cooling, generators, infrastructure, noise, lighting and security.
The Parish Council therefore believes the two alternatives need to be properly assessed on their individual impacts.
The bigger picture
This application does not exist in isolation.
There is another data centre application pending in Stoke Poges at Sefton Business Park. There are also speculative planning applications for nearly 1,500 new homes in and around the parish. There is currently no overall masterplan showing residents how all this potential development fits together.
Buckinghamshire's own evidence recognises particular market demand for data centres within the wider Slough Hayes availability zone.
The Parish Council has already raised concerns that the emerging Policy EC5: Data Centres does not go far enough in requiring the combined effects of several data centres to be considered.
Buckinghamshire's infrastructure evidence also acknowledges that large scale electricity requirements from data centres were not factored into its electricity/ gas capacity assessment and, because data centre sites were not allocated, their impacts had not been tested with utility providers.
What are the main planning issues?
Residents may wish to consider:
- Green Belt and Grey Belt: does the proposal meet the national planning tests and what would it mean for the openness and character of the area?
- Scale and appearance: particularly the very substantial scale of the data-centre alternative.
- Cumulative development: the combined effect of this proposal, the other pending data centre and nearly 1,500 proposed homes.
- Electricity/ gas and infrastructure: can the very substantial requirements of data centres be accommodated alongside major housing growth?
- Water and drainage: what would the combined developments require?
- Traffic and highways: including construction traffic and operational traffic.
- Noise: particularly continuous plant, cooling equipment, transformers and back up generators. The Parish Council's Local Plan representation has specifically raised the importance of assessing night time, tonal and low frequency ambient noise.
- Landscape and countryside: including the wider role of the Stoke Poges countryside in connecting Burnham Beeches, Stoke Common, Black Park, Langley Park and the Colne Valley.
- Alternative locations: if a data centre of this scale is required, why does it need to be located here?
- Lack of an overall plan: should development on this scale be considered application by application, or should there first be a joined-up strategy for the area?
How can residents comment or object?
If you have concerns or wish to object you can make your views known. Local residents and interested parties can view the plans and submit comments through Buckinghamshire Council's Planning Portal or via email to planning.comments@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Please submit any formal comment before the deadline of 19th September.
The Parish Council is working on a comprehensive response which we will publish. Please note that template letters or copy and pasted responses only out as one objection.
Please make your voice heard
Our concern is that a 16,000 sqm commercial/warehouse development and a 40,500 sqm data centre with a major energy centre and substation are very different propositions and should not be treated as though their impacts are the same and this must be considered against the wider picture, two data-centre proposals and nearly 1,500 proposed homes.
The Parish Council believes Stoke Poges needs joined up planning for the whole area, not transformation one planning application at a time.
Planning policies you may wish to refer to
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
- Green Belt – protection of the openness and purposes of the Green Belt.
- Grey Belt – NPPF paragraph 155 – development must meet the relevant tests; being described as Grey Belt does not automatically mean development is acceptable.
- Sustainable development/location – whether this is an appropriate location for development of this scale.
- Design and local character – scale, massing, appearance and whether development responds appropriately to its surroundings.
- Transport and highways – safe access and the effects of additional traffic.
- Climate change and energy – energy use, resilience and environmental consequences.
- Natural environment – landscape, biodiversity, trees and ecological connections.
- Noise and pollution – including plant, cooling equipment, transformers and generators.
Emerging Buckinghamshire Local Plan
- Policy EC5 – Data Centres – electricity capacity, water, noise, air quality, landscape and other impacts. The Parish Council is asking Buckinghamshire to strengthen this policy to deal properly with the cumulative effects of several data centres.
- Policy NE16 – Protection of the Green Belt – particularly important to the application of the new Grey Belt rules.
- Policy IN1 – Infrastructure Delivery – whether the infrastructure needed to support development can actually be provided, including the cumulative requirements of development.
- Policy BE5 – Design of Developments – scale, design, local character and the relationship with local design guidance.
Existing South Bucks Policies
- South Bucks Core Strategy Policy CP1 – Spatial Strategy – where development should be located.
- Core Strategy Policy CP7 – Accessibility and Transport – transport, access and sustainable movement.
- Core Strategy Policy CP8 – Built and Historic Environment – character and environmental quality.
- Core Strategy Policy CP9 – Natural Environment – landscape, biodiversity and the natural environment.
- Core Strategy Policy CP10 – Rural and Wider Economy – economic development in the rural area.
- Core Strategy Policy CP12 – Sustainable Energy – climate change and energy considerations.
Stoke Poges Neighbourhood Plan
- SP6 – Design Code: Parish Wide – ensuring development respects the character and design of Stoke Poges.
- SP9 – Green Infrastructure – particularly important for protecting and connecting the parish's green infrastructure network.
- SP10 – Local Green Spaces – where a designated Local Green Space could be affected.
- SP11 – Local Access Network – footpaths, bridleways and local connections.
- SP12 – Dark Skies – particularly relevant to lighting from a large data centre operating 24 hours a day.