TL;DR
Developer Innova wants to build a data centre campus called Spodegreen beside the M56, close to the village of Little Bollington near Lymm. No planning application has been filed yet, but residents have already set up a working group to fight it, citing flood risk, noise, light and the loss of countryside. It would join a crowded pipeline of data centre schemes in the region.
What is proposed
Innova has been leafleting households before a planned consultation event at Knutsford, promising jobs, better local connectivity and space for computer systems. Innova holds a development option over the site from its owner, the Tatton Estate. If Cheshire East Council approves the scheme, Innova has indicated building would begin within three to five years. The company, which is behind similar proposals elsewhere in England, told the BBC it could not respond in time for publication.
Why residents object
Janice Taylor, who runs a bed and breakfast at Ash Farm, told the BBC the plan is “massive” and that light and noise would hurt a business built on guests seeking quiet. Mike Reed, a former parish clerk helping to coordinate opposition, described the reaction as “shock, total shock” and said the scheme looked “like something off another planet”.
Reed is also worried about flooding. On 1 January last year, he recalled, the Bridgewater Canal was damaged and two homes had to be evacuated. “You cannot load another huge development into an area that’s subject to flooding like that,” he said. About 40 people turned up to an initial community meeting, which Reed described as “calm and sensible”.
The National Trust, which runs the neighbouring Dunham Massey estate, says it will review any submitted plans for their effect on wildlife.
The wider picture
Greater Manchester has three other major data centre proposals in the planning system, at Carrington, Trafford Park and Newton Heath, none linked to Innova. Nationally, the BBC cites industry publications counting more than 80 UK applications lodged with councils from 2023 to 2025.
Community pushback is becoming a pattern. In Dumfries and Galloway this week, campaigners attacked a newly lodged 1,000MW application at Chapelcross, billed as the world’s largest campus if built, arguing that its energy demand is too high for Scotland to absorb.
Looking forward
The AI boom has coincided with a sharp rise in data centre proposals, and some now land beside small villages like this one. In our view, early engagement on flooding and landscape is likely to shape these fights more than job promises do. Cheshire East will be the council to watch once Innova files.