Energy Consents Unit, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU  

Econsents_Admin@gov.scot 

4 May 2026

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: Transparency over the extent of developments comprising the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone  

We are writing to you, along with Woodhall, Faskine and Palacecraig Conservation Group, regarding the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone. We have written a report on the extent of developments we believe to be linked to the AI Growth Zone, but we realise this may not be the full extent of the plans. The report currently excludes elements such as the ‘onsite renewables’ that the UK Government’s press release noted, and which the developer’s website calls ‘private wire’ renewables.

Given the ambitions for the private wire or onsite renewables that Data Vita have: 800MW wind, 400MW+ of solar and 1400MWh of BESS, this is likely to take up a huge area of many hundreds of hectares. The two large Green Belt sites we have identified, which we assume is where the recently announced 500 MW data centre buildings will be, cover 212 hectares in total, so the impact on this area of North Lanarkshire could be enormous.

At present planning and consent applications are coming in one by one, some to the local authority and some to the Energy Consents Unit at Scottish Government. It is impossible for local people or civil society to understand what is happening in, what is, a development of national interest.

We have done our best in the report on  our website (aprs.scot/chapelhall-ai-growth-zone) to bring together what we know about proposed developments in the area of Chapelhall and Calderbank that may be connected with the AI Growth Zone. However this is likely to be incomplete.

We are writing to ask that ECU bring together a map and a list of all the energy developments associated with the AI Growth Zone, including power transmission, substations, generation and storage. And we are also asking that you liaise with North Lanarkshire Council to bring it together with the developments that will be going through the local authority planning processes to make it transparent. 

At the moment developments which are all key to delivering the AI Growth Zone are being dealt with one by one with no overview or transparency. Having all the developments mapped and listed together would help local people and civil society to understand what the AI Growth Zone would mean for their area, and for Scotland, and so that the sum total of the development can be scrutinised for its impact on the environment, our climate targets, water resources, and communities.

We would value a meeting with you to discuss the above request.

Yours sincerely,

Kat Jones, Director, APRS

Dr Ann Glen, Woodhall, Faskine and Palacecraig Conservation Group