Key facts
- Protesters warn a planned data centre in North Ayrshire would have a 'horrendous' impact on heritage and biodiversity.
- The proposed data centre is planned for a greenfield site 50 metres from Hunterston Castle, an 800-year-old heritage site.
- The Reject Hunterston Data Centre campaign group is calling for the proposal to be stopped and future applications refused.
- Eneus Energy states the data centre campus is being designed sustainably to support growing demand for cloud services and AI.
- The company claims the project will create employment and supply chain opportunities for the local area.
Protesters have expressed strong opposition to a planned data centre in North Ayrshire, Scotland, warning of a "horrendous" impact on local heritage and biodiversity. The Reject Hunterston Data Centre campaign group demonstrated outside the Park Hotel in Kilmarnock, where Eneus Energy, the company proposing the development, had a stall at a business event.
The campaign group stated that the proposed data centre would be built on a greenfield site just 50 metres from Hunterston Castle, an 800-year-old heritage site. They highlighted the castle's rural setting as crucial to its heritage and noted the area's archaeological significance, indicated by Neolithic settlements. The group argued that the development would lead to a significant loss of heritage, landscape, and biodiversity, potentially damaging West Kilbride's reputation as an innovative craft town and popular tourist destination.