AN BORD PLEANÁLA has granted planning permission for a data centre to be built on the outskirts of Ennis.
Clare County Council in August 2022 gave the green light to the construction of the Art Data Centre campus at Tooreen on the Tulla Rd in Ennis. Appeals to this decision were subsequently made to An Bord Pleanála.
On Tuesday, An Bord Pleanála notified the County Council that they had decided to grant planning permission for the data centre. This will consist of six data centre halls and associated site works.
Overall, the campus will comprise six data halls of 33mw each, Energy Centre & Vertical Farm designed on a flexible and modular basis, covering 145 acres and 1.3 million sq ft. Construction of the Art Data Centre Campus is to be phased over a seven-year period. It has been designed by data centre specialists Colin Hyde of ARC:MC, and Robert Thorogood of HDRInc.
This decision has ended the appeal of Clare County Council’s grant of permission to Art Data Centres Limited. The planning permission also gives effect to the Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy and delivers on key objectives of the Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling stated, “I welcome the decision of An Bord Pleanála today on this important proposal for Ennis, County Clare, and indeed the region. Clare County Council through its Planning Department and Economic Development Directorate have worked over the last ten years to identify and bring forward a plan-led approach for a development of this scale. This decision gives effect to a strategic objective of the Council to enable the delivery of a data centre of regional and national scale in line with Government objectives”.
Developers have previously said 400 to 500 permanent jobs will be created when the Data Centre is fully operational with 1,200 construction jobs and 600 in support services.
