Mike Kane MP, Member of Parliament for Wythenshawe and Sale East and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, recently visited our Manchester site. As a true local, born and bred in Wythenshawe, Mike’s visit was significant for us, and gave us the opportunity to get another truly local perspective on our role within the community after the ribbon was cut on our brand new MCR2 facility by Councillor Emma Taylor, Labour Councillor for the Sharston Ward, whose family still live in very close proximity to our Manchester site.
Mike Kane MP visits our Manchester site
Posted on in News
Celebrating local impact
MCR2 as part of Wythenshawe’s regeneration
The visit centred around our newly launched MCR2 data centre, the first completed project in the ambitious £500 million regeneration plan for Wythenshawe. MCR2 represents a major step forward in supporting the region’s growing data centre needs and driving economic development. However, Mike also took a keen interest in MCR1, our original facility, which was converted from an office building into a state-of-the-art data centre back in 2007.
During his visit, Mike even ventured onto the roof of MCR1 to take in the panoramic views of Wythenshawe and the surrounding areas, capturing the moment in a video. He was interested in the site’s history, including the demolition of the former job centre to make way for MCR2, and the future plans for the site, such as tree planting scheduled for the autumn. We’re delighted that Mike expressed interest in planting a tree himself, and we look forward to welcoming him back for this occasion.
Engaging with the local community
Mike’s background as a former teacher shone through as he expressed interest in our plans to take part in educational initiatives. We shared details of our collaboration with local colleges at our Farnborough site where we recently hosted Year 1 Digital T Level students from Farnborough College of Technology, offering them a hands-on exploration of our operational data centre. The students gained valuable insights into the role of data centres in the IT industry and learned about our sustainability efforts, and this is something we’re keen to develop at our Manchester site too.
We also highlighted our commitment to supporting the local economy by contracting local companies for the construction of MCR2. This approach ensured that the benefits of our projects extend beyond our facilities and into the wider community.
Sustainability and innovation
Sustainability was a key topic of discussion during Mike’s visit. He was keen to know more about the PV solar panels on the roof of MCR2 and was particularly interested in the heat reuse capabilities of the facility. Data centres are known for generating significant amounts of heat, and we are turning this by-product into an opportunity. With a housing development of 700–1,500 dwellings planned just 20 metres from the site, we have incorporated heat reuse technology into MCR2’s construction – providing the ability for the excess heat generated by our data centre and colocated organisations to be redistributed to the new housing.
Unparalleled security
Mike also enquired about the security measures in place at our facilities. We were proud to share that MCR1 is unique in the UK, featuring an on-site NSI Gold Approved BS5979 police-linked alarm receiving centre. This ensures the highest level of security for our operations and the equipment colocated at our site.
Next steps …
Mike Kane’s visit was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the progress we’ve made and the positive impact our data centres are having on Wythenshawe and the wider region, and his genuine interest in our work, from sustainability initiatives to community engagement, was very encouraging.
We’re excited about the future and look forward to continuing our work in Wythenshawe, contributing to its regeneration. And, of course, we can’t wait to welcome Mike back in October to plant a tree as our site continues to grow.
In the meantime, if you’d like the opportunity to explore our two UK data centre sites (Manchester and Farnborough), get in touch.