Group also confirms exclusivity agreement signed with leading data centre provider for powered land sale
Harworth Group plc, a leading regeneration, strategic land and development business, today confirms that, following its announcement on 5 August 2026 that it was in advanced negotiations for the sale of a second site in its current powered land portfolio that can deliver a hyperscale data centre, the Group has now entered into an exclusivity agreement with a leading data centre provider for a powered land sale at that site.
The site benefits from excellent planning prospects and an accepted power connection offer, and has the potential to deliver significant value gains.
The Group’s first hyperscale data centre transaction was a £106m two-plot powered land sale at Skelton Grange to Microsoft with a development agreement for enabling works (the “Skelton Grange transaction”).
Data centre pipeline update
Harworth is also today providing more details on the strength and scale of its powered land bank. The Group has identified the opportunity in its current portfolio to target up to six hyperscale data centre land sales, comprising:
- the Skelton Grange transaction and the transaction subject to an exclusivity agreement referenced above, which together benefit from accepted power connection offers totalling 0.4GW, with the prospect of securing higher power capacity;
- two further sites which together benefit from accepted power connection offers totalling 0.4GW;
- one site that has a written indication of a power connection offer of 0.1GW, with a formal connection offer expected in due course; and
- a final site where there is anticipated power availability sufficient to deliver a hyperscale data centre.
All six sites are owned freehold by Harworth, controlled through options or held in partnerships. All but one are already progressing through the planning system, with stakeholder engagement underway on the final one. The sites also benefit from a supportive central Government policy environment, including through national infrastructure policy, due to the strong contribution of digital infrastructure development to economic growth.
In addition to these opportunities, the Group has identified the potential for further smaller-scale digital infrastructure projects across its portfolio, such as for colocator and edge providers.
With the Skelton Grange transaction progressing towards completion, Harworth is targeting conditional land sales across its data centre pipeline into both the near and medium term. This underscores the Group’s belief that there is embedded value in its power-enabled land bank that is still to be realised.
Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive of Harworth, commented: “Harworth provides a compelling opportunity to invest in powered land for data centres, having established a strong track record in this area with our first powered land sale in 2024 for a hyperscale data centre and now our entering into an exclusivity agreement for a second hyperscale transaction.
“We are confirming today that we have the potential to deliver up to six hyperscale data centres across our irreplicable land portfolio which, coupled with our in-house expertise in planning, power, servicing, and deal execution, will deliver strong, through-the-cycle returns to investors. Our approach of crystalising value from powered land sales provides attractive returns and capital-light exposure to this growing sector, and underpins our growth ambitions as a powered land and industrial & logistics specialist.”