Our planning applications
Thank you for your interest in the project. This page is designed to help you navigate our applications, find out how to have your say, connect with us, and discover more about how Superloop will come to life.
We are excited to share that the first planning applications for Superloop will soon be live on the South Cambridgeshire District Council planning portal. This page will be updated with further details and the relevant planning application reference codes as soon as they are issued.
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We will shortly be submitting two applications:
- A Local Development Order (LDO) covering the installation of the underground heat network infrastructure and above-ground kiosks.
- A standard Planning Application for the heat recovery data centre building and its associated infrastructure.
The local planning authority will validate both applications, publish all the supporting documents and undertake formal public consultation.
Residents, businesses and organisations will have the opportunity to submit comments before any decisions are made. The Council’s Planning Committee will ultimately make the decision.
The Heat Network
You can find more detail on what it takes to construct Melbourn’s heat network here.
The heat network works by circulating water through underground pipes that connect the data centre with homes and buildings. Installing the pipes beneath existing highways is the most practical and least disruptive way of creating the network.
A Local Development Order (LDO) is a form of permitted development that allows certain types of development to proceed without individual planning applications each time street works are undertaken.
In this case the LDO would provide planning permission for the installation of the underground heat network infrastructure within the defined area on the map. All work is subject to agreed Cambridgeshire County Council conditions being met.
Construction would be carefully planned to minimise disruption wherever possible, and we will not be working across the whole village at once.
Our network will be built in phases, using temporary traffic management used to maintain access and reduce impacts on residents. Road and pavement surfaces will be restored to Highway Authority standards.
Want to know more about the heat network?
Head to our FAQ for more detail
Data Centre
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Indicative layout and design
Our proposed 50m x 30m 8MW data centre building will be on a 4-acre site next to an existing solar farm, down the byway past Norbury’s Building Supplies. The building does not take up all 4 acres, much of the site is given over to landscaping.
It is a single-storey facility, similar in style and size to an agricultural barn, and we will incorporate sensitive screening, and use a low-profile design. The building will be lower than the existing treeline.
The existing treeline and hedgerows near the site will remain, and we will be planting native hedges and trees, as well as creating ponds. This will increase the biodiversity of the site so it will be a better location for wildlife.
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The data centre location has been identified following detailed technical assessments. We needed a site that was:
- Close to solar power, as we will be running on solar as much as possible
- Close enough to our proposed heat network
- Far from homes, so noise and construction traffic aren’t a concern
- Close to national grid and fast fibre internet connections
- Near businesses and institutions that will benefit from a local data centre
Want to know more about the data centre?
Head to our FAQ for more detail
Our applications are separate, but their purpose is not
The operation of the data centre and the installation of the heat network will be dependent on each other as a single Superloop system. Both work best together; we will not be building a data centre without a heat network.
Fence within planting boundary, not on boundary
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Melbourn Energy Superloop and the bigger picture
The UK is currently being shaped by two major trends: digitalisation, which is driving a rapid increase in the amount of data that must be stored and processed, and the shift to renewables, with more of our electricity coming from wind and solar rather than fossil fuels.
Renewables and low-carbon sources hit a record 63% of the UK’s electricity generation early 2026, with wind providing around 25% to 30%. This record will continue to be broken as more solar and wind projects connect to the national grid. We will be using solar, and our grid electricity will be from renewable and low carbon suppliers.
Superloop stands at the centre of these two big trends, capitalising on both.
Our aim is to meet pressing needs across the UK – the need to meet net zero targets, the need for more computing power, and the need to get the cost of living down.
Superloop delivers on all counts, driving down the cost of low-carbon heating installations, removing local emissions, cutting bills down to size and creating much needed digital infrastructure.
And all without the negative environmental impact of the vast data centres you might have seen on the news or via social media.
How will the heat and fibre network be rolled out?
Construction
We have started surveys in the area of the village closest to where the proposed heat network will enters the village.
Heat network construction and fibre installation will be phased, which means we’ll start the work in one area before moving on to the next area of the village.
This will limit disruption and allow for the project to be developed smoothly.
Which roads are included?
The design of the network layout will continue to be developed over the coming months. This is subject to various technical studies and further resident and council input. We will be building a warm water ‘main’ from which smaller pipes will branch off. Because the network is partly demand-led, we will finalise the street-by-street design once we have a complete picture of residential and commercial demand.
Surveys are happening now
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Register your interest today!
Register for project news and home surveys – wherever you live in Melbourn. Helping us see future demand enables us to plan the network. Thank you to everyone in the village who has shown an interest, it makes a genuine difference.
We’ll update this planning page with the relevant reference numbers once we have them, giving you a chance to comment on our planning applications. We will also publish planning documents here, so they’re easy for you to find.
If you have any questions at all, please use our contact form.