- Published on
‘People are standing up and fighting back’: the north Devon revolt against a vast AI datacentre
- Authors
- Name
- DeepHorus
A British technology company has announced plans for a hyperscale AI data campus in north Devon, triggering a major environmental and planning dispute in one of England’s most scenic protected landscapes. Xlinks says the 344-hectare scheme near Great Torrington would combine a 1.5GW AI datacentre with a 1.8GW battery energy storage system. The company introduced the proposal this summer with an appeal for collaboration, but local residents quickly began organizing opposition. The dispute has turned a remote infrastructure project into a test of who gets to shape the UK’s AI boom.
Great Torrington occupies an inland cliff above the River Torridge, overlooking woodland, meadows and farmland within a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Its peacefulness belies a history of conflict, including the 1646 battle in which Parliament’s New Model Army defeated Royalist resistance in heavy rain and darkness. Today, residents face a modern struggle over the landscape’s future. AI infrastructure is now a recurring subject in pubs, churches and parish halls across nearby villages.
At 344 hectares, or 850 acres, the secured site would contain five large buildings rising between 50 and 130 feet. Xlinks says listed buildings on the land would be relocated and converted into a visitor centre, a proposal that itself raises questions about heritage preservation. The datacentre’s stated 1.5GW power capacity would make it among Europe’s largest AI facilities, while the 1.8GW battery system is intended to balance exceptionally high electricity demand. Together, they represent an industrial-scale bet on computing growth.
The Devon Datacentre and BESS Action Group says members have researched the plan, filed freedom of information requests and adopted tactics associated with US environmental campaigner Erin Brockovich. Tens of thousands have joined the wider campaign, according to local organizers, while public meetings have brought overseas campaigners to Devon. Elizabeth Humphreys of Not in My Valley, which helped secure a permanent datacentre ban in Coachella, California, hosted a recent Great Torrington meeting. She said residents are confronting some of the world’s largest companies but are fighting together.
Tension rose after activists said documents obtained through freedom of information requests showed confidential discussions between Xlinks and Torridge District Council dating to March 2025. The council issued an “in-principle support” letter in April, before an environmental statement or public consultation, campaigners say. A later email dated 18 December 2025 discussed links with a sixth-form college in Exeter and a stakeholder engagement plan, asking who should be brought onboard. To campaigners, the sequence suggests planning assumptions preceded genuine public scrutiny.
Torridge District Council says its pre-application process was standard, confidential and not confirmation that the proposal was acceptable. The authority says the letter offered early planning guidance while acknowledging substantial local concern. Residents say the sequence raises questions about transparency and whether a once-in-a-generation project was treated as a foregone conclusion. Emily Clark said private meetings and emails spanning 18 months showed officers appearing to prepare for the project before residents had a formal say.
The immediate test is whether Xlinks and the council open consultation, publish environmental evidence and examine alternatives concerning scale, siting and energy impacts. Campaigners are likely to demand scrutiny of water use, air pollution, noise, biodiversity, farmland loss, grid demands and battery fire risk. Planning could bring jobs and investment, but the project’s scale also threatens the landscape that defines the region. With residents mobilized and international tactics arriving, Devon may become a bellwether for whether communities can shape AI expansion before commitments harden into approval.
