Centaur plans to transform old Compaq plant into data centre

Published on Monday 26 October 2009 20:40

AN English property developer is behind plans to turn the former Compaq electronics plant in Ayr into a £25m data-centre.

Alan Fernback, whose Centaur Group owns a 100m portfolio of industrial, warehousing, offices, residential flats and land throughout the UK, has engaged Scottish businessman William Morris to negotiate a deal to convert the factory.

Morris is talking to a number of companies, including ScottishPower and BT, to fit out the plant.

The plan is to turn the former circuit board manufacturing facility into a hosting data centre that will rent out computer services.

Chartered engineer Morris, who runs Energy Solutions Consultants in Glasgow, is managing the project and his firm has been asked to produce an eco-friendly facility that will include power generation from green sources.

"We are in early discussions, but we are talking about a large project," he said.

He estimated that it could employ up to 60 people. He said the project would not require any change of use approval from the local authority. It is thought the development could be in operation within 18 months.

Fernback, who has been investing and trading in property for 40 years, acquired the former Compaq plant on the 64-acre Moss Hill Industrial estate from Jabil Circuit in 2006.

It has changed hands a few times. Compaq bought the plant from Digital Equipment in 1998 and sold it to Jabil in 2002, a year after Compaq was taken over by Hewlett-Packard.

At its peak the plant employed in the region of 3,000 electronics workers.

The new plan involves taking 400,000 sq ft of empty space – about a third of the total site. Other buildings are occupied by a variety of businesses including Land of Leather, a go-karting company and two nurseries.

Fernback began his property career by buying residential buy-to-lets, before moving in to shops and offices in the South London area.

He has acquired industrial and retail parks around the country, including the Hartley Village industrial estate in Liverpool, which was the home of the Hartley jam factory from 1885.

After the initial deal with Jabil in 2006 he returned later that year, to acquire a further 82,000 sq ft of light industrial space from TT Electronics, adjacent to the Jabil site.

No-one at Centaur was available to comment.