Peaceful protests planned as company behind massive Fife AI data centre comes to town
Peaceful protests are being planned as the company behind hugely controversial plans for a massive AI data centre in Auchtertool come to town to speak to locals.
ILI Cato Limited will hold community information sessions in the Village Hall this week, which are open by appointment only to local residents and businesses.
And each day will feature a static, peaceful demo outside, organised by Auchtertool Action Group. It will have a presence on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday a the sessions get underway from 11:00am until mid evening. ILI’s events require advance booking to attend.
Leaflets sent to locals said its team would be present to “explain the application, discuss the technical assessments that have been undertaken and answer your questions.”
It added: “Whether you support the proposals, have concerns, or simply want to understand more,we encourage you to come along to one of our community information sessions.”
The company’s plans to site a massive data centre on the outskirts of the village have sparked a huge backlash, and generated an unprecedented number of objections to Fife Council, which has also been criticised for not insisting on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) at this stage of the £5bn project.
Over 1200 comments have been posted on the planning portal, more than 2500 people have signed a petition calling on the Scottish Government to introduce a moratorium - and 8000 have signed a petition against the Auchtertool centre in particular.
ILI Cato Limited is seeking planning permission in principle for the vast data centre campus on land to the north-west of the village. The proposals include a complex of data halls, which could be as high as 35 metres, as well as electricity substations, security fencing, gatehouses and other infrastructure.
Auchtertool Community Council has attacked the plans as “ill-conceived and inappropriate” and lodged its objections, while a number of politicians have also expressed concern at the scale of the project and the unsuitability of the location.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has also made a “holding objection” to the controversial plans on the grounds of a lack of information on flood risks.
The company behind the project said it would provide essential infrastructure across the Scottish Central Belt where IT services can be delivered in close proximity to the majority of end users, and where sufficient land electrical connection and renewable energy supply are available.
The deadline to lodge an objection has now expired.