Project Edison will create 50 jobs in Blackpool & be a catalyst for thousands more say London-based investors

London-based Elite Gemstones Properties Ltd has submitted proposals to Fylde Council for the scheme dubbed Project Edison, which would see two data centres built at Peel Park, off Brunel Way, which is already home to civil service offices.

The scheme is expected to create 50 direct jobs, but similar investments in the south of England are said to have created up to 4,100 indirect jobs by supporting other businesses thanks to a ripple effect.

There are also proposals to build a data centre called Silicon Sands at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. Both schemes aim to take advantage of connectivity provided by undersea Trans-Atlantic fibre cables which come ashore at Starr Gate.

A planning statement, drawn up by architects Cassidy and Ashton, says the Peel Park proposals would act as a hub for innovation.

It says: "Crucially, especially with the situation of the site close to the Blackpool Enterprise Zone and the more specific aim of Silicon Sands, data centres act as hubs of innovation and can attract major companies and exciting start-ups to the region due to the foundational facilitation of a technological ecosystem.

"This development will complement the aims of Silicon Sands in creating said ecosystem. The co-aligning aims of Project Edison and the nearby Silicon Sands has the potential to create a technological hub the likes of which is seen in Milton Keynes.

"Positive and forward-looking planning in that area has seen the formation of several large data centres creating a technological cluster that has benefited from significant job creation.

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"For every direct job created through the tech industry in Milton Keynes, an additional two to five jobs are provided for in the wider economy.

"The economic benefits to the local region go beyond the direct, indirect, and induced effects of the construction and operational phases. This benefit is unquantifiable, yet observable, with the ripple effect of data centre provision having a major impact on attracting significant industry to an area."

The outline planning application is seeking permission for a maximum of two data centre buildings, a new substation with standalone access, landscaping, car parking, fencing and gates and a new multi-storey car park.

 The application (reference 24/0516) will now go before Fylde Council planners for consideration.