Devon councillor launches national petition over rural data centre developments

A Devon County Council cabinet member has launched a Parliamentary petition calling for a national moratorium on data centre and battery storage developments outside designated growth zones, a policy position she says was shaped in part by a proposed hyperscale data campus near Great Torrington.

Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Devon’s cabinet member for rural affairs and a North Devon farmer, set up the petition amid growing debate over where data centres and battery storage sites should be built nationally. The petition does not name any individual company or development, but Ms Cottle-Hunkin has spoken publicly about her concerns over energy infrastructure company XLinks’ plans for an 850-acre AI data centre and battery energy storage system (BESS) on farmland between Great Torrington, Huntshaw and Weare Giffard, which she has cited as an example of the kind of scheme her petition is aimed at addressing.

The petition, which had reached almost 14,700 signatures at the time of writing, hit a key milestone on August 24, when it passed the 10,000-signature threshold that triggers a formal government response. It needs 100,000 signatures to be considered for a Parliamentary debate, and remains open until February 17, 2027.

It calls for three things nationally: an immediate moratorium on planning approvals for data centres and BESS developments outside AI Growth Zones, mandatory local rural impact assessments, and a comprehensive investigation into how such projects are financed, including funding from outside the UK.

What’s being proposed

XLinks, the company behind the now-dropped Morocco-UK power cable project, describes the scheme as the ‘Devon data campus’, made up of two separate planning applications submitted to Torridge District Council: an AI-optimised data centre, named Valeon, and a standalone battery energy storage facility (BESS). The company says each project can be built and operated independently of the other, though it presents them together as part of a single long-term vision for the site.

According to XLinks, the data centre would provide up to 1.5GW of AI-optimised compute capacity, among the largest of its kind in Europe, supported by an on-site battery storage facility of 1.8GW that would provide grid balancing services. Both would connect to the national grid at Alverdiscott substation.

XLinks says the site was chosen for North Devon’s mild year-round temperatures, which it says would reduce energy and water use for cooling compared with many other locations, alongside proximity to planned renewable generation and spare capacity at the substation. The company also says existing trees, hills and valleys would help screen the development from nearby homes.

On the economic case, XLinks says the campus would represent capital investment of £12.2-13.8 billion, with an estimated annual economic contribution of around £3.3-3.6 billion. It says the development would support between 2,000 and 3,500 jobs during construction, and between 600 and 1,200 permanent operational roles once complete, with a further estimated 29,000 jobs created indirectly or induced. The company says it is exploring training partnerships with the University of Exeter and local colleges to help local people access these roles.

XLinks also points to a proposed community benefit package, to be shaped through consultation, which it says could include public open space, a fitness centre, an electric bus depot or a business hub, alongside biodiversity net gain through new woodland and attenuation ponds intended to reduce freshwater use.

The company’s public consultation period has been extended, with in-person public information days originally planned for mid-July postponed until after the summer holidays to allow more time to engage with residents.

Cottle-Hunkin’s concerns

Speaking as both a farmer and Devon’s cabinet member for rural affairs, Ms Cottle-Hunkin said the timing of the proposal was particularly difficult, coming as 2026 shapes up to be Devon's driest year on record and as bluetongue disease continues to affect livestock farmers in North Devon.

“This isn’t just about losing 850 acres, it is about losing food-producing capacity, water, biodiversity and the natural systems farmers depend upon,” she said.

She raised particular concern over water use. XLinks has said the data centre would be self-sufficient in water. However, she said pre-application documents released to campaigners through FOI requests indicate that in an “extreme dry year,” annual water consumption at the site could reach 2.9 billion litres.

“After the year Devon farmers have just experienced, ‘extreme dry year’ isn’t just theoretical, it is very real and likely to become a common occurrence,” she said.

She also raised questions about the potential heat impact of a development of this scale, and about what “Critical National Infrastructure” status, if granted, would mean for landowners’ rights.

“CNI status doesn’t automatically mean a developer can take a farm, but when landowners are hearing reports of compulsory purchase, they deserve absolute clarity about their rights and protections,” she said.

Disputed FOI documents

Campaigners, working through the Devon Data & BESS Action Group and Devon CPRE, say they have obtained documents showing XLinks shared detailed site plans with Torridge District Council as far back as March 2025, more than a year before the proposal was made public, and say some of those documents were submitted as recently as April 2026.

Those documents, according to campaigners, show two of the largest proposed buildings at around 22 acres each and 40 metres in height, comparable to Exeter Cathedral. XLinks has defended the material, saying it represented “preliminary site layouts intended to help explain the proposals at an earlier stage in the process” and saying that the plans shown are now out of date.

Strength of local opposition

Public meetings on the proposal, including one chaired by Torridge and Tavistock MP Sir Geoffrey Cox in June, drew hundreds of residents, with reports of near-unanimous opposition among those who attended. A local Facebook group opposing the scheme grew to more than 5,000 members within its first week, and countryside charity Devon CPRE has also raised objections to the plans.

Ms Cottle-Hunkin said the scale of local opposition should not be dismissed.

“The strength of feeling at local meetings and through the thousands of people who have signed petitions should not be dismissed as a small group of campaigners,” she said. “This is a community saying very clearly: hyperscale AI data centres and BESS are not welcome here.”

What happens next

XLinks has said it intends to submit its planning applications to Torridge District Council. Its public consultation, initially planned to run through July and August, has since been extended, with in-person public information days postponed until after the summer holidays. Great Torrington Town Council, a statutory consultee, has said it will gather community feedback before formally responding once applications are submitted, while continuing to attend meetings on the proposals.

The government must now formally respond to Cottle-Hunkin's petition, having passed the 10,000-signature threshold.