Data centre planning applications hit an all-time high in the UK in 2025, City AM can reveal, as investors rushed to gain a foothold in the burgeoning AI market. More than 60 separate planning applications for the construction of new data centres were filed in England and Wales over the course of the year, according to a City AM analysis of more than 300 local authority planning databases, representing an increase of 63 per cent compared to 2024. The analysis excluded extensions to existing data centre sites, revisions to past applications …