The construction of a data centre at an ultra-secure facility near Corsham has been approved.

Wiltshire Council has given the go-ahead for the centre to be built within Ark’s Spring Park campus on Westwells Road, a high-security space already home to five other data centres.  

The new building will be located on the eastern corner of the established campus.

It will be protected by a perimeter fence and monitored 24 hours a day by the on-site CCTV cameras.

A data centre is a location where information such as financial institutions’ customer account data is maintained and transactional processes are carried out.

According to the application, the centres at Ark’s Spring Park are used “to house critical computer systems and associated communications infrastructure crucial for the knowledge economy.”

Security officers ensure only authorised visitors or contractors are permitted onto site and can carry out vehicle searches prior to allowing access.

Although Corsham Town Council did not raise any objections to the new data centre, a handful of residents from the nearby village of Neston commented on the application to oppose the plans.

Mr Peter Clark wrote: “We are already subject to noise from the existing ARC data centres.

“On still nights and also when the wind is unfavourable, we hear the drone of the ventilation systems.”

“We are in a grade 1 listed property with single glazed windows which we are told we can only repair, not replace.”

Mr Ben Holliss added: “Neston is a delightful traditional Wiltshire village, but increasingly the village is being encroached pretty much on all sides by industrial/commercial/military units, and there is a real risk that the village feel is being irreversibly lost.”

Meanwhile, the Ark application stated: “The Spring Park Campus already delivers a major economic dividend – and this proposal will support and expand its positive impact on the local and regional economy.

“On the one hand it is crucial that more data facilities are built in the UK if it is to compete internationally and economically.

“It will also generate an important number of skilled and high value jobs in sectors that have been locally prioritised.

“On the other data is the platform for wider societal progress and the ability to manage quantity and quality will be critical to meeting the most significant challenges we face (and enjoying ourselves a little while we do it).”