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Data centre developer calls for public feedback as plans take step forward

SDC A computer-generated view of a data centre with a green roof blending in to the surrounding landscapeSDC
A full planning application for the development could be submitted in early 2027

Developers behind plans for a £2bn data centre in southern Scotland are calling for feedback from the public as the project takes another step forward.

The Sunlaws Development Company has submitted a proposal of application notice to Scottish Borders Council - a document which must be lodged at least 12 weeks before any planning application.

It said this was an "important milestone" and marked the beginning of a public consultation on its Southside Data Centre in the Lammermuir Hills - which it says would create 145 high-quality jobs.

Campaign group Save the Lammermuirs – Stop the Data Centre has described the project as a "monster" and the "wrong development in the wrong place".

The proposed site is to the west of Duns, between the villages of Longformacus and Westruther.

Submitting the document now could allow the company to proceed with its plans to table a full planning application early next year.

However, a petition against the development is heading towards 50,000 signatures.

Another series of public information days is planned in the area later this year and early next year.

The company's managing director Jaap Röell, said: "Submitting the notice is an important milestone.

"It marks the start of the formal, public stage of consultation.

"We have been talking to the community since the earliest concept stage, and the design has changed as a result."

He said the public events would let people see an updated design and put questions to the team behind the project.

"We want to hear from everyone, whether they support the proposal or have concerns, because their views will shape the final application," he added.

Save the Lammermuirs – Stop the Data Centre A group of about 20 people standing behind a banner which says Save the Lammermuirs Stop the Data Centre. They are standing in rural countryside with a reservoir behind them.Save the Lammermuirs – Stop the Data Centre
A petition against the plans has gathered nearly 50,000 signatures

The opposition campaign group was formed almost as soon as the plans for the area first emerged.

It said that the site involved was not appropriate for an "industrial-scale data centre".

It added that it would consume vast amounts of electricity and drain the "life and beauty from the landscape".

It has called on the council to oppose the plans when a full planning application is lodged.