First Minister fails to commit to Greens call for public consultation on hyperscale data centres
The First Minister has been urged to ensure communities are at the heart of decision-making on the huge data centre applications that are under consideration in Scotland.
The call comes as a proposal for the world’s largest data centre was submitted at Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway.
If approved, the data centre would have a capacity of 1GW – bigger than any other in the world – using 7 million MWh of energy per year, equivalent to over two million homes.
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay pressed the First Minister on holding a full public consultation on any draft planning guidance before it is issued to local authorities.
In her first question to the FM, Gillian Mackay said:
“The Scottish Government has said that no decision on applications for huge data centre development should be made until new guidance is in place.
“But since that statement Dumfries and Galloway has seen an application for one of the largest centres in the world. It’s a monstrosity which will use the same amount of electricity as over 2.2 million Scottish homes.
“Five thousand people have objected to it already, but Chapelcross now joins Larbert, Greenock, Auchtertool, and 21 other communities across Scotland waiting to see if they are going to be blighted by one of these huge data centres.
“What reassurance can the First Minister make to these communities that their views will be listened to?”
The First Minister repeated his previous commitment that he didn’t anticipate any applications would be determined before planning guidance is issued.
In her second question, Gillian said:
“His Government has acknowledged that tech giants are marking their own homework when it comes to these applications. The First Minister previously referred to an Edinburgh hyperscale data centre in this Chamber as ‘green’, but the Government later confirmed to us that the reference to it being ‘green’ was taken directly from the description provided by the applicant.
“That comes after the investigative journalists at the Ferret found that the Scottish Government had been lobbied by industry to use that phrase ‘green data centre’.
“Will he now make a concrete commitment to listen to the views of communities as well as lobbyists by carrying out a full public consultation on the draft guidance before any planning decisions are made?”
The First Minister said a full consultation would “significantly extend” the time it would take to issue the planning guidance.
In her final question, Gillian said:
“I appreciate that statutory duty that local authorities have, but giving that time would give the time for communities to have their say on the planning guidance that comes forward.
“I know from my constituents that the uncertainty around these centres is causing genuine and profound concern. Communities simply don’t know what’s going on.
“Councils across the country don’t know what’s going to come along. Local businesses don’t know what’s going on. For example, the determination date for the Larbert application lapsed on 4 October.
“I appreciated what the First Minister says about not anticipating any decisions being made, but that leaves the Larbert community in my region in limbo.
“Has the First Minister instructed the chief planner to issue directives to councils telling them to pause applications until the government guidance is in place? And if not, when will he, to give those communities that certainty?”