Large data centre proposals in Scotland, from pre-application notices to live planning applications and appeals, plus the sites already operating. Each entry shows its council planning record, where one exists, and its other sources by type, so every claim can be checked against more than one publisher.
Circle area scales with MW. Hollow rings have no published capacity. Positions are approximate (town or estate level).
Proposed, in progress and stalled
Schemes from first announcement through to a lodged application, plus those under construction, refused or stalled. Most are large AI campuses still at pre-application, and together they would add many times today's operating capacity.
Operating
Data centres running in Scotland today, mostly colocation, bank and research sites in the Central Belt, Aberdeen and Dundee. Most are small; the largest, DataVita DV1 at Chapelhall, is about 24MW.
Planning and policy timeline
How sources are graded
Each entry lists every source we used, labelled by who published it. An entry counts as corroborated when at least two different publishers report it and at least one of them is not a campaign group or a commercial directory.
GovernmentScottish or UK Government, Parliament, the planning appeals division (DPEA), NESO
CouncilLocal authority planning portal records, news or committee papers. Planning records were searched on each council's portal for "data centre" on 18 Oct 2026.
NoticeStatutory planning notices published in local papers
OperatorThe operator's or developer's own website or press release
NewsNewspapers, broadcasters and trade press
CampaignCampaign groups and petitions, including the APRS tracker
DirectoryCommercial data centre listings and property agents
Some news sites block automated link checks, but every link here was found through search and checked on 18 Oct 2026; none returned "not found".
East Lothian
West Barns Mains, Dunbar
TS
Thistle Sands Data
Pre-application4 sourcesCapacity not publishedSize unknown
Where it stands4 independent sources
Announced
Proposal notice
Application
Decision
Built
EIA screening 25/00008/SCR lodged 07 Oct 2025. A full application can follow 12 weeks after a notice. Decisions on data centres of 50 MW or more are currently paused for up to 12 months while national guidance is drafted.
Have your say · petition4,575 signaturesOppose the building of a hyperscale data centre in Dunbar ↗Signing a petition does not lodge an official objection with the council. Only comments made on the planning application count in the decision.
Public responseNo council comments published yet. Petition: 4,575 signatures.
How the flags work
Red: nearest building within 100 m, 10% or more of the site in a flood zone, or a designation overlapping the site. Amber: building within 500 m, any flood-zone overlap, or a designation within 500 m. Green: none of these. Measured from the council's application site; buildings from OpenStreetMap, flood zones from SEPA, designations from NatureScot and Historic Environment Scotland.
Overview
"Green energy data centre and community renewable heat hub" on a 62.5ha site. The council record names Thistle Sands Data Limited as applicant. Capacity not published.
The developer's case
No project website, public statement or published figures from the developer found yet. Spotted one? Use Report incorrect data at the top of the page.
The objectors' case
Objectors say the scheme would change the character of a historic coastal town and harm its landscape and local ecology. change.org petition
The opening lines summarise in our own words how objectors present their case. Campaign claims get the same checks as the developer's figures. Petition signatures are not verified as local and are not formal objections to the council.
Site and surroundings
Loading map layers…
Site centreResidentialIndustrial / commercialWoodlandRiver floodSurface water floodCoastal floodSSSI / SAC / SPAAncient woodlandHeritage designationListed buildingSchool, care or healthPower line250 m · 500 m · 1 km from the site centre
Over 50MW, the council must notify Scottish Ministers within seven days of validating an application (in force since 17 Aug 2026). Scottish Government
Over 50MW, an Environmental Impact Assessment is now mandatory (Direction of 16 Sep 2026), including for applications already in the system. Scottish Government
On 16 Sep 2026 MSPs backed pausing planning decisions on large data centres for up to 12 months while national guidance is drafted, expected by December 2026. Resultsense
For a major development, the developer must lodge a proposal of application notice and hold at least two public events, and cannot submit the application until 12 weeks after the notice.
No capacity has been published. The 50MW rules above apply if the scheme exceeds 50MW.