PLANS have been unveiled to transform part of Greenock’s former IBM site into a new data centre development.
Slate Island Developments Ltd has applied to Inverclyde Council for Planning Permission in Principle for the project at Spango Valley, off Inverkip Road. If approved, the centre would bring long-vacant brownfield land back into productive use.
IBM opened its Spango Valley operation in 1954. The facility closed in 2017, and the buildings were demolished in 2020.
Slate Island Developments is now seeking to regenerate part of the former technology and industrial site. Spango Valley is considered well suited to the data centre sector because of its scale and extensive areas of previously developed land.
The indicative proposals include four data centre buildings providing around 80,000 sq m of floorspace, alongside landscaping, parking and sustainable drainage infrastructure. The majority of existing woodland, particularly around the site boundaries, would be retained.
The development would form part of a wider project incorporating a separately proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
A spokesperson for Slate Island Developments Ltd said, “Spango Valley has a proud history as a centre for technology and employment in Inverclyde, and these proposals offer an exciting opportunity to open a new chapter for this important site. There is now strong interest from the data centre sector, providing a real opportunity to bring this long-vacant brownfield site back into productive use.
“Data centres are becoming an increasingly important part of the infrastructure underpinning our economy, supporting everything from everyday digital services to cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Scotland is exceptionally well placed to benefit from this rapidly growing sector, with the Scottish Government recognising the strategic importance of green data centres to our future economy.
“For Greenock, this is an opportunity to bring technology and investment back to a site synonymous with both for generations, while securing a sustainable and deliverable future for Spango Valley. We have engaged extensively with Inverclyde Council and the local community as the proposals have developed and look forward to continuing that dialogue as the application progresses.”
The applicant has been engaging with Inverclyde Council since summer 2025, alongside a programme of community consultation including two public exhibitions, online events and engagement with Wemyss Bay Community Council.
If Planning Permission in Principle is granted, further applications would determine the detailed design, including final building footprints, heights, and materials.
