Scotland introduces new planning oversight for large data centres

The Scottish government has implemented new planning regulations to increase oversight of large-scale data centre developments. Under a direction issued via Regulation 31, local planning authorities must notify ministers within seven days of receiving any application for a data centre with a power capacity exceeding 50 megawatts.

This procedural change, signed by Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad, aims to provide central visibility and strategic monitoring of the data centre pipeline. The direction applies retrospectively to applications already in the system. While the move follows calls for a moratorium on AI data centres due to environmental concerns regarding energy and water usage, the new rules do not grant ministers a direct veto over local council decisions.

Critics and industry observers note that the 50MW threshold means many significant projects may fall outside these new requirements. For instance, DataVita’s planned £300m facility in Lanarkshire has a capacity of 12MW and is unaffected by the mandate. Currently, no operational data centre in Scotland exceeds the 50MW threshold.