Clearstone, a UK infrastructure developer specializing in grid-connected infrastructure, has unveiled plans to build a 300 MW AI data center campus on a site spanning 145 acres near Dartford, on the borders of London and Kent. Clearstone is targeting an operational start date of 2030.
In a post about the project on its website, Clearstone said that the proposed site is located adjacent to the HS1 railway line and A2 motorway, 2 km south of Ebbsfleet International train station. “The location has been chosen due to its ability to provide the land, power, high-speed connectivity and talent pool needed to deliver the next generation of AI-based applications.”
It further said that power will be delivered through a connection to the UK’s electricity transmission network, owned and operated by National Grid. Moreover, the data center campus buildings are expected to have a footprint of 60,000 sqm, and the development will take a modular approach to delivering compute capacity, with infrastructure split across a number of buildings.
“We are currently undertaking early land and ecological surveys to determine the proposed site layout and cable routes to Northfleet East substation,” said Clearstone on its website.
The Ebbsfleet AI Data Center campus will be one of the first data center projects to follow the UK’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) planning regime.
“The Ebbsfleet AI Data Center Campus would deliver significant local and national economic benefits, and Clearstone applied to the Government in May 2026 for a direction under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 to enable the project to be consented under the NSIP regime. This is the UK planning system for decision-making on large-scale, strategically important developments,” said Clearstone. “Direction was given by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 1st July 2026. The decision means the Project will be treated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), requiring a Development Consent Order (DCO).”
Given the growing concerns over unchecked hyperscale data center development not just in the UK but also across the world, Clearstone says it is actively engaging with local communities and stakeholders such as Kent County Council, Dartford Borough Council, local residents and town and parish councils. It further said that over the 3-year build period, an average of 750 workers is expected to be required on site each year, including local recruitment of up to 650 workers relative to availability. There is then expected to be a further 420 net additional on-site jobs once the campus is operational, including operation and maintenance teams and auxiliary services such as security and cleaning roles.
Project partners include Gensler, which is a global architecture, design, and planning firm that has designed large-scale data centers in the UK, US and China, and AECOM, a global infrastructure and engineering consultancy.