Chaired by Browne Jacobson's data centres co-leads, Darren Ashworth and Valentina Tosato, this webinar opens with a cross-practice panel reviewing the defining themes of 2026; from AI-driven demand and power constraints, to record M&A activity, landmark planning decisions and regulatory change.

Guest speakers will, in addition to the above, tackle questions related to the long-cycle challenge: how do you design, plan and contract for a campus in 2026 built to last 40 years in a market that moves faster than planning consents?

Our specialists close with honest predictions for 2027. With grid connections stretching to 2035, power constraints tightening across the UK and planning and construction pipelines under mounting pressure, is your business legally and commercially prepared for what comes next?

The session will aim to combine panel discussion, guest speaker insight and interactive Q&A, structured around five core themes:

• Planning and development viability: Navigating consenting delays, greenbelt and grey belt opportunities, and the infrastructure constraints reshaping data centre site selection across the UK.
• Construction risk and procurement strategy: Structuring building contracts for long-cycle data centre builds, managing insolvency risk and delivering on time through a constrained supply chain.
• Real estate structuring: Land acquisition, pre-let agreements, development funding structures and the rise of sale and leaseback in the data centre sector.
• The evolving regulatory environment: Including CNI designation, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and the planning and environmental consenting reforms affecting large-scale infrastructure development.
• M&A, financing and portfolio dynamics: How investors, developers and operators are structuring deals, managing title risk and deploying capital in an increasingly competitive real estate market.

Browne Jacobson's data centres team closes out the year by bringing together the people building, financing and operating the infrastructure that is reshaping the UK's digital landscape. This event brings together key stakeholders from across the data centre ecosystem, including developers, operators, hyperscalers, investors, utilities and public sector organisations involved in digital infrastructure.

Join us for an honest conversation about what 2026 has taught us and what we need to be ready for in 2027.

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Our in-person and online events are designed exclusively for clients and targets. As such, we reserve the right to cancel bookings. If you’d like to speak to a member of the team regarding your attendance, please contact us.