Epping Forest District Council has backed outline planning applications for a Google data centre that could reportedly generate nearly 800 jobs.

The application was approved by the council’s planning committee last Wednesday, with the project to be based on North Weald Airfield site in Essex.

According to the committee report, the scheme could produce up to 780 local jobs, as well as roughly £79m Gross Value Added (GVA) each year for the local economy and as much as £319m for the national economy.

‘Although some visual and heritage impacts are acknowledged, these can be effectively mitigated through high-quality design and extensive landscaping, which will be secured and refined at the reserved matters stage’, the report reads.

The committee report also describes the plans as ‘nationally significant and sustainable’, with proposed ‘robust sustainability measures’ to be included such as the use of solar generation, air-cooled technology, and biodiversity net gain.

The plans are subject to Section 106 conditions that are due to be set out by the developer, according to the BBC.

However, concerns have been raised by residents and local campaign groups about possible noise disruption, alongside environmental and traffic impacts.

In the report, neighbours’ comments on the application reveal fears around ‘loss of employment and economic diversity due to displacement of SMEs’, as well as concerns that the scheme ‘sets a precedent for closure of community-use land in favour of private tech infrastructure’.

The parish council has also objected to the plans on the basis that the application ‘fails to meet with requirements of the endorsed North Weald Airfield Strategic Masterplan’, while also arguing that the building heights included in the proposals could threaten airfield operation safety.