Community campaigns rally ahead of PQs at Holyrood to demand moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres

Communities campaigning against hyperscale AI data centres gathered outside Holyrood (Wednesday 24th June) ahead of Climate and Rural Affairs Parliamentary Questions, which saw a long session with questions from MSPs across the parties on the subject of hyperscale AI data centres. The gathering was organised by the campaigns against data centres at Hermiston and Larbert.

Campaigns against hyperscale AI data centres planned at Dunbar, Hermiston and the Gyle in Edinburgh, Larbert, Hunterston, Auchtertool, Bishopriggs, the AI growth zone at Chapelhall and Longformacus/lammermuirs were represented. 

One campaigns, the campaign at Hurlford, Ayrshire couldn’t attend in person but sent emails to MSPs inviting them to meet the campaigners and were represented by placards carried by others. 

Sarah Matthews of the Hermiston campaign said:

“The impact of hyperscale data centres on Scotland is unfathomable and no one truly knows the consequences on our water, pollution, health and energy.  All we are asking for is for the Scottish Government to stop and consider all the facts on our future and the future of Scotland. If all of these hyperscale data centres were to be built it would be one and a half times Scotland’s entire peak energy demands – that alone is simply impossible.

We must learn from the United States before its too late. There is huge backlash against hyperscale data centres with many now rejected and several bans on planning in place. Americans are seeing the impacts on their daily lives – everything from an increase in energy bills to major health concerns. We must be very wary.”

Tasha Marsden of the Larbert campaign said: 

“With a growing number of hyperscale AI data centres proposed across Scotland, we have now reached a crisis point and desperately require the intervention of our MSPs. 

Instead of listening to the will of the people, the Scottish government is presently sticking their head in the sand rather than standing up to big tech. 

The global experience shows noone wants these hyperscale AI data centres due to the harm they cause the communities living adjacent to them. We need our government to step up and be a voice for Scotland by sending a clear message to these billionaire-backed companies.

Some of our community ambassadors have travelled a long way today to ask the government to press pause on these proposals. We need impartial third-party experts to advise on implementing legislation and nationwide guidance for planners which places human health, environmental wellbeing and tangible economic benefits above company profit. As we have seen throughout other transformative points in human history, allowing profit driven companies to regulate themselves and act without impunity is a recipe for disaster. We need to learn from the mistakes of the past by adopting and implementing legislation which enforces rigorous checks and balances, before Scotland becomes a dumping ground for big tech infrastructure.’

Lisa Beacham, Hurlford Campaign, said:

“Today communities across Scotland are gathering together to make their voices heard. We are all feeling the threat of these hyperscale data centres coming, and it feels like we have so little say in what’s happening. 

” These applications are already progressing through planning and being labelled ‘green data centres’ when they are nothing of the sort. We are worried they will be nodded through planning without the scrutiny they deserve and without the voices of communities being heard. By coming together we hope we can make a really strong statement that MSPs can’t ignore that we need a moratorium on hyperscale data centres now.”

Victoria Plutshack from the Gyle campaign said:

“These campaigns have come together today to call for a national moratorium on hyperscale data centres until the Scottish Government has done a proper assessment of their impacts on communities and environment including energy demand and the grid, greenhouse gas emissions, electricity bills and local air quality. “

Parliamentary Questions

THREE PQs were lodged in Climate Action and Rural Affairs Questions and there were so many supplementary questions asked after them that the Presiding Officer said they had run out of time and needed to move on.

Mark Ruskell: To ask the Scottish Government what national assessment it has made of
the climate impact associated with hyperscale AI green data centres. (S7O-00110)

Gary Bouse: To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on the environment of the construction and operation of hyperscale data centres. (S7O-00114) R

Alan Brown: To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to carry out a cumulative impact assessment of the number of planning applications proposed for AI data centres, including the power and water resources required and the impact on climate emissions. (S7O-00115)

Supplementary questions asked by Laura Moodie, Adam Harley, Steven Bonnar. Graham Simpson, Julie MacDougall and Claire Baker.

In response to a question by Julie Macdonald MSP, Gillian Martin said the following:

‘Our stance on the growth zone initiative is that, obviously, we recognise that, where a data centre development is proposed, it must have strict environmental impact assessments associated with it, and we must have an idea of the number of data centres that are likely to go through planning. We also need to ensure that our regulations are fit for purpose.’

A note of clarification on this – although every right-thinking person would think that hyperscale AI data centres would require an EIA, seven out of 12 that have reached that stage of planning have not been required to do them. Including the development in the AI Growth zone at Chapelhall.

Further Parliamentary Written Questions submitted to the Scottish Parliament by Murdo Fraser MSP

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

1 July 2026

Index Heading: Economy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what advice it provides local authorities in relation to assessing planning applications for AI data centres, including regarding the cumulative energy demand and energy security impact of the entire national data centre pipeline.

S7W-01147

Hannah Mary Goodlad: National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) designates “Green Data Centres” as National Development. Policy 24 of NPF4 supports Digital Infrastructure, encouraging, promoting and facilitating the roll out of digital infrastructure across Scotland to unlock the potential of all our places and the economy. The Scottish Government is a co-commissioner of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan which will model likely energy demand up to 2050 and the generation approaches required to support that demand. In a response to Martyn Day MSP on Thursday 25 June, I advised that the Scottish Government is urgently considering whether more formal guidance is required to help local planning authorities. In a response to Gillian MacKay MSP on Thursday 25 June, the First Minister set out that he is giving active consideration to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals, which are vital to our future prosperity.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

2 July 2026

Index Heading: Economy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the National Planning Framework 4 provides sufficient guidance to local authorities to appropriately with applications for AI data centres, including the impact on the grid.

S7W-01148

Hannah Mary Goodlad: Planning authorities have qualified planning officers who apply their professional analysis and judgement to inform decisions. National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) designates “Green Data Centres” as National Development. NPF4 must be considered, read and applied in the round, accounting for all of its relevant provisions when assessing planning applications. We are considering whether more formal guidance would also help planning authorities. We have already committed to publish guidance on what factors are prevalent in a “green” data centre.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

2 July 2026

Index Heading: Economy

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a national strategy plan for the location of AI data centres or allow local authorities to determine this on an individual basis.

S7W-01149

Hannah Mary Goodlad: Decisions on the location of such developments are currently taken through Scotland’s plan-led planning system. This includes the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which sets out national planning policies and priorities, alongside local development plans prepared by planning authorities. Together, these ensure that proposals are assessed in a consistent manner. Ministers are considering whether additional strategic coordination is required to support future investment, manage cumulative impacts on infrastructure, resources and communities. In a response to Martyn Day MSP on Thursday 25 June, I advised that the Scottish Government is urgently considering whether more formal guidance is required to help local planning authorities. In a response to Gillian MacKay MSP on Thursday 25 June, the First Minister set out that he is giving active consideration to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals, which are vital to our future prosperity.