MEC was appointed by Elsham Tech Park Ltd to provide specialist lighting and acoustics support for the proposed Elsham Tech Park at Mount Farm, North Lincolnshire.
Located adjacent to Elsham Wolds Industrial Estate, the site occupies agricultural land between existing industrial uses and the surrounding countryside. Outline planning permission has now been approved for a new data centre park, including data centre buildings, ancillary offices, plant and cooling equipment, emergency backup generators, a district heating centre, flexible commercial and amenity buildings, together with the infrastructure needed to support the development.
As demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, developments like this play an increasingly important role in supporting the UK's digital economy. Careful environmental assessment was therefore essential to ensure the proposals could be delivered while protecting neighbouring communities and the surrounding landscape.
Lighting
Our Lighting team undertook a Lighting Impact Assessment to understand how the proposed development could affect nearby residential properties and surrounding ecological areas.
Using detailed lighting models, the team assessed predicted light spill, glare and sky glow, ensuring the proposed lighting design met the Institution of Lighting Professionals guidance and relevant British Standards. Particular attention was given to maintaining dark corridors around ecological features and minimising unnecessary upward light.
The assessment demonstrated that the proposed lighting would remain within the recommended pre- and post-curfew limits, while illumination along nearby ecological corridors would remain low enough to avoid significant impacts on light-sensitive species. At the same time, the lighting strategy provides the levels needed to maintain a safe and secure operational environment across the site.
Acoustics
Given the nature of a modern data centre, understanding and controlling operational noise was a key part of the planning process.
Our Acoustics team began by carrying out an extensive environmental sound survey across the site and at nearby residential receptors, establishing existing background sound levels before setting operational noise limits for the future development. Because the detailed design of the data centre had not yet been finalised, the assessment established robust noise criteria that future operators will need to meet as the scheme progresses.
Rather than relying on a single solution, the assessment identified a range of design principles and mitigation options that can be incorporated as the detailed design of the data centre evolves. These included measures such as lower-speed cooling equipment, careful orientation of plant, acoustic screening where required, and optimising the site layout to help manage operational noise.
Given the specialist nature of a data centre, the assessment also advised on/recommended more bespoke acoustic solutions that could be incorporated where appropriate. These included sound-attenuating louvres, Helmholtz resonators, acoustic absorption materials and active noise control technologies, all of which can help manage noise from cooling equipment and associated plant, depending on the final design and operator requirements.
This approach provides flexibility for future design, while ensuring that suitable mitigation can be incorporated as design proposals are refined.
Following comments from North Lincolnshire Council during the planning process, our team prepared a detailed technical addendum, providing further justification for the assessment methodology and refining the proposed operational noise limits. These limits establish the acoustic criteria that future phases of the development will need to achieve. As the detailed design progresses, further acoustic modelling and assessment is recommended, to demonstrate that the final proposals would meet regulation requirements.
Although the site sits alongside an existing industrial estate, data centres present their own unique environmental considerations. Continuous operation, cooling systems and standby generators all have the potential to influence both lighting and noise if not carefully designed.
By assessing these factors early in the planning process, MEC provided the technical evidence needed to support the outline planning application, alongside a framework of environmental design principles that can be developed as the scheme progresses.
We're delighted to have supported Elsham Tech Park Ltd in securing outline planning permission and look forward to seeing this important development progress.
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