The Government has intervened in a £500m proposal to build a data centre at the historic Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, after Tower Hamlets Council rejected the scheme.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed called in the application during a public planning inquiry in October last year and is expected to make a final decision in August. The move means Reed can overrule the council's refusal.
The plan, brought forward by Truman Estates, would demolish a derelict building on the 10-acre site to make way for a data centre, alongside 44 flats – just 11 of them affordable.
Opponents argue the site could instead deliver around 345 homes in a borough where more than 31,000 households are on the housing waiting list.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: 'A planning application relating to the Truman Brewery site was submitted to the Council in 2024. The Secretary of State subsequently took the decision to call in the applications so that a final determination can be made by Government.
'These applications were considered at a public inquiry in October 2025, and we now await the Secretary of State’s decision, which is expected by August 2026.'
