Giant data centre and solar farm the size of 3,550 football pitches planned near historic British market town

The Longmarsh Green Energy project will consist of a 1.3GW solar and battery project alongside a 1GW data centre.

The Western Site will be located northeast of Tilney St Lawrence, and the Eastern Site will be built near Fincham and Barton Bendish.

The proposals could attract around £25billion in investment and generate more power than any other site currently planned for the UK.

The site is also estimated to create thousands of construction jobs and more than 500 “operational roles”.

A spokesman for Evolution Power said the sites were “critical for future UK economic growth”.

The proposed project, if construction is granted, is set to be completed by 2032.

A public consultation on the proposed development opened on October 15 and will run until November 26.

Evolution Power expects to file a planning application next April, but the scheme’s size means ministers rather than the borough council will decide whether to green light it.

North West Norfolk MP James Wild said the plan “could represent further large scale industrialisation of the landscape”.

He also expressed concern for other projects including RWE’s High Grove development, a 720MW scheme covering around 4,000 acres between Dereham, Watton and Swaffham.

Another development under German energy company RWE, The Droves, boasts another 2,800 acre, 500MW farm near Swaffham.

Evolution Power said the proposed site would boost the region’s offshore wind generation and enable the data centre to access renewable power at a discounted price compared with the UK average.

It would support digital services and contributing to the UK’s objective of AI sovereignty.

The campus would use a closed-loop cooling system that recirculates liquid rather than continually drawing water from the mains, reducing impacts on local water supplies.

The borough council’s independent leader, Alistair Beales, said it would “do our job locally and reflect residents’ concerns”.

In a statement, a project spokesman said: “Longmarsh Green Energy would bring significant local and national economic benefits.

“Providing secure renewable energy and data centre capacity, both of which are critical for future UK economic growth.

“Our design includes measures and commitments to reduce local effects, and we welcome feedback on these, together with suggestions regarding how the project could support local community projects and initiatives.”