A planning stage known as a screening opinion request has been submitted on Bromley’s Planning Portal for a proposed development at Charmwood Farm, Charmwood Lane. The developer is seeking to build a two‑storey data centre on Green Belt land, covering around 10 hectares currently in agricultural use.

A screening opinion request asks the Council to decide whether a proposal requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) — essentially, whether the development is likely to have significant environmental effects. If the Council decides it does, the applicant must produce a full EIA and submit an Environmental Statement before any planning application can be considered.

Bromley Council has now issued its decision: the scale and nature of the proposal mean it would have significant environmental effects, so a full Environmental Impact Assessment is required.

This means there is no planning application for residents to respond to yet. We now wait for the full application, including the EIA, to be submitted.

Background

Planning reference: 26/02508/EIA

The data centre would be a large two‑storey building with a footprint of roughly 15,000 sq m. The plans also include a standby energy generation compound with 16 generators, on‑site fuel storage, office space, and extensive cooling plant.

In addition to the impact on the green belt, large data centres like this one raise concerns around water use and flood risk. These facilities typically require substantial water for cooling, which can place pressure on local water supplies — especially in areas already experiencing stress on the network. They also introduce extensive hard surfacing, large roof areas, and fuel‑storage infrastructure, all of which increase surface‑water runoff. On Green Belt land like Charmwood Farm, this can heighten the risk of localised flooding and reduce natural drainage that agricultural land currently provides. These issues will need to be assessed in detail through the Environmental Impact Assessment.