Open consultation

Draft National Policy Statement for Data Centres: consultation questions

Updated 3 November 2026

Applies to England

Question 1

Are you responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation?  

Question 2

If responding on behalf of an organisation, which of the following best describes your organisation? (please choose between data centre operator, data centre developer, landowner, property developer, environmental organisation, community organisation, industry or trade association, local authority, combined authority, or other)

Question 3

If responding on behalf of an organisation, please provide the organisation’s name.  

Question 4

Where are you, as an individual or organisation, based geographically in the UK? 

Question 5

What is your area of interest within the National Policy Statement (NPS)? 

Question 6

Do you agree that the NPS provides a clear and appropriate framework for assessing applications for nationally significant data centres? If you don’t agree, please explain why. 

Question 7

Do you agree that the NPS succeeds in its intention to promote responsible water and energy use, support British jobs and contribute positively to local communities? Please explain your answer. 

Question 8

Do you agree with the 3 exceptions to the presumption of consent in the NPS? If you don’t agree, please explain why. The 3 exemptions apply: 

• when impacts on habitats sites cannot be mitigated or compensated
• when residual impacts present an unacceptable risk to, or unacceptable interference with, human health and public safety, defence, irreplaceable habitats, or risk from flood or coastal erosion
• when the data centre is located in the Green Belt

Question 9

Do you agree that rated IT load is the right unit of measure for the indicative threshold from which data centres can be considered for the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) consenting process? If you don’t agree, please provide an alternative unit of measure and explain why this is preferred. 

Question 10

Do you agree that 100 megawatt (MW) of rated IT load is an appropriate threshold? If you don’t agree, please provide an alternative threshold and explain why this is preferred. 

Question 11

Do you agree that the expectations in the NPS related to energy and water usage are appropriate and proportionate? If you don’t agree, please explain why.  

Question 12

Are there any material planning, environmental, infrastructure, or community impacts that you believe are not sufficiently addressed by the assessment criteria in the NPS? Please provide details. 

Question 13

Do you have any comments on the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS) or the Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA)? Please specify the relevant pages.  

Question 14

Are there any other comments you would like to make in relation to any aspect of this NPS? Please specify the relevant sections/paragraph(s).