Plans for a high-security data centre and office space catering to technology firms on former MoD land between Fleet and Farnborough are being welcomed by residents, according to developers.

Kenmore Land Farnborough held public exhibitions at Ancells Farm, Fleet, and Southwood, Farnborough, to show interested members of the public their plans for the site.

The site is a pocket of land often called the Cody Technology Park in between the Pyestock gas turbine site and QinetiQ, off the old Ively Road. 

The property company plans to build a data centre on half of the site, which will consist of buildings containing rows of computer servers storing information for banks and other large corporations.

Only about 20 to 25 permanent staff are likely to be needed on that half of the site.

Plans for the other half of the site are more mixed.

It will consist of office space geared towards high-tech and research and development firms.

There will be a mixture of three different sizes of what the company is calling “business units” which will be leased to a variety of firms.

These will include “incubation” sized units, medium sized units and larger sized units, some of which could be used for small-scale manufacturing.

All of the buildings will have barrel-vaulted roofs, similar to TAG Farnborough Airport’s hangars.

A spokesman for Kenmore said the company wants to create “a high-tech hub” at the site, an idea he said was welcomed by the residents who visited during the exhibition days.
 
The spokesman said: “Over the three days we had in excess of 200 people attending the event and the feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive.”

He said Kenmore had wanted to keep the plans for the nearby Pyestock site in mind when they were drawing up their own plans.

He said: “Traffic has been a major concern. We’re aware of Pyestock and how those plans might affect the area. We have had to look at a worse case scenario [where the Pyestock plans are agreed], and think about how to lessen as much as possible the employment situation to make sure traffic levels are kept low.”

A controversial plan to build a bakery on the site was withdrawn in May when bakers Warburtons pulled out of the scheme.

The plan was criticised by some residents associations, including Stop Pyestock bLot Act Today (SPLAT), because they feared it would add to traffic gridlock in the area, and create even more misery for residents if the megadepot at Pyestock was also agreed.

An application for the new plan is expected to be submitted to Hart District Council by early October.

Coun Richard Appleton, portfolio holder for planning and regulation on Hart District Council, said the council would be looking at various aspects of the application once it was submitted.

He said traffic issues and strategic gap issues needed to be addressed.

But he added: “I think the concept of it is a reasonable use of the site. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with this use of the site.”

Coun Stephen Parker, the ward councillor responsible for the site, said: “The developers’ approach has been very welcome. They have sought to talk to people before they put in any proposal.

“The current proposal they have got is as a result of a lot of engagement with the community.”