Devon Residents Fight 850-Acre AI Datacentre Plan as Project Would Outsize Their Town
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Devon Residents Fight 850-Acre AI Datacentre Plan as Project Would Outsize Their Town
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Summary
Devon residents are escalating opposition to plans for one of Europe’s largest AI datacentres and a battery storage system on 850 acres of farmland near Great Torrington.
The backlash centers on scale: locals say the development would be larger than the town itself and reached by narrow rural lanes unsuited to such a project.
Residents argue the site would damage a scenic landscape that supports tourism and cut quality of life through noise, lighting, and heavy demands on energy and water.
The dispute adds a local flashpoint to Britain’s wider debate over whether resistance to major datacentre projects is obstructing AI infrastructure expansion.