Massive data centres belong in industrial sites – not next to Fife villages
The ILI Group’s plans for the Cato data centre next to Auchtertool are clearly inappropriate, as I have said previously, and said again in the House of Commons this week. They should not go ahead.
AAI has the potential to bring enormous benefits to our society, from helping us at work to revolutionary breakthroughs in healthcare research, diagnostics and treatment. It also brings threats and challenges.
The infrastructure it requires with data centres is one of these challenges. Data centres should be located in places such as former industrial sites; obviously Auchtertool is not one of these.
Planning legislation lies with the SNP Scottish Government, which must rapidly adapt Scottish law to take account of this changing reality.
Up-to-date planning law in Scotland would have stopped Auchtertool being in this situation and ensured that the environmental impact of the proposed data centre had to be properly considered.
Local anger at the plans for a new data centre next to Auchtertool is understandable. If Fife had succeeded in being named an AI Growth Zone then we would not be in this situation because data centres would have been put in much more appropriate locations.
That is one reason why, last year, alongside other Fife MPs from different parties, as well as St Andrews University and Fife College, I called for Fife to become an AI Growth Zone. Fife would have benefitted from millions of pounds in local investment in jobs and research opportunities, while also taking a common sense approach to data centre locations.
One of the successful growth zones in Scotland will receive some £540 million in community investment, as well as creating 3,400 high value jobs. But Fife was ultimately unsuccessful in this.
Yet to my surprise, last week I saw that a local SNP politician had doctored a photo of me and other cross-party MPs to falsely make it look like we supported the data centre application in Auchtertool. This was factually incorrect and irresponsible.
Disinformation across social media is rife and trust in politics is low. We all have a responsibility to prevent the spread of disinformation online.
I’ve met with Auchtertool Community Council and raised the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment with Fife Council. I’ve spoken up for Auchtertool in the UK Parliament. Residents in Auchtertool deserve common sense and honesty, and that is what I am fighting for. Now over to the Scottish Government to play their part.