Her colleague Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “The Deputy Prime Minister has said that when she intervenes in the economic planning system, the benefit of development will be a central consideration and that she will not hesitate to review an application where the potential gain for the regional and national economies warrant it.

“And I welcome her decision to recover two planning appeals already, for data centres in Buckinghamshire and in Hertfordshire.”

It is understood the Buckinghamshire scheme is a 700,000 sq ft project known as the Court Lane Industrial Estate which was turned down by local planners in October 2023.

In Hertfordshire plans were rejected in January to build a 900,000 sq ft facility on green belt land near Abbots Langley.

The Planning Inspectorate has now written to Buckinghamshire Council and Three Rivers District Council to inform them that appeals against the decisions will now be decided by the Secretary of State instead of an Inspector because “the appeal involves proposals for significant development in the Green Belt.”