Greens call for pause on data centre approvals until national strategy created

The Scottish Government should bring forward a national strategy on the building of large data centres, the Scottish Greens have said.

Co-leader Ross Greer has also called for an immediate “pause” on all planning approvals until such a plan is brought forward.

First Minister John Swinney said existing planning policy was sufficient to allow councils to make their own decisions.

The topic was raised at First Minister’s Questions in light of multiple planning applications across the country to build large-scale data centres.

There are currently 24 proposals for new sites in Scotland, including in Larbert and near Auchtertool in Fife.

Edinburgh Council refused planning permission for an AI data centre in South Gyle earlier this year despite planning officer recommending it be approved. Concerns had been raised about the environmental impact.

The Scottish Greens say that if all 24 proposals were approved, they would consume more than 1.5 times Scotland’s peak energy use.

Greer told the first minister there was “no clear government strategy or guidance for councils on how to deal with those applications”.

He added: “Data centres can play an important role in our economy, but not if we allow a free-for-all of unworkable applications to continue. Will the first minister agree today to a moratorium on new data centres of above 50MW until we can agree on a clear national strategy and give councils the specific guidance that they need before they make decisions on individual applications?”

Swinney acknowledged the environmental concerns relating to data centres, including energy use, water consumption and the generation of heat.

But he added: “The planning policy is there to enable local authorities to make the determinations that they consider appropriate and necessary.

“There must, obviously, be extensive interaction and dialogue with individual communities before those applications are determined, but the criteria for the consideration and assessment of such developments are very clearly set out in planning policy.”

He added the questions over how “prescriptive” such policy was is a subject for the whole parliament to consider, adding that Greer’s request was for government to be “more specific, instructive and determinative” than the “prevailing mood” of parliament.

“The government will, of course, consider all emerging planning issues, and we must monitor the implications of local planning decisions,” he added.

“However, if the parliament wishes there to be a fundamental change to the way in which we determine such issues, it will have to have an open discussion about whether such powers should be exercised nationally by the government, not locally by individual local authorities, which has been the prevailing view in the parliament until now. The parliament is welcome to consider that issue.”