Information & Updates

Why Are We Against the Xlinks Data Centre and BESS?

We reject the proposal on a number of grounds, including but not limited to:

• This proposed development will desecrate 850 acres of quality agricultural land in the heart of the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere, levelling the hills and valleys that make it what it is.
• The site is twice the size of the largest AI data centre so far approved in the UK (built on a brownfield site).
• There is no justification for the data centre to go there. It could go anywhere: a disused quarry or airfield, for example.
• Xlinks' claim that it will create up to 1,200 jobs is misleading at best. Using previous data centres as a guide, figures closer to 150 are more likely.
• The buildings will be 40m high (130 feet, equivalent to a 13 storey building) and clearly visible from Dartmoor National Park and beyond, dominating the whole vista of the Devon area.
• The 1,700 containers will be filled with Lithium Ferrous Phosphate cells, each capable of thermal runaway, poisoning the land. Xlinks tell us it will produce 69dB of noise (a figure we need to confirm, and consider a minimum), both audible and inaudible (infrasound), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without end. This noise pollution will carry for many miles from the site.
• The scale of the buildings will raise ground and air temperatures in the surrounding area, changing the natural balance of the land and region.
• This is predominantly Grade 3b agricultural land, prime quality pasture for livestock. With overseas ecosystem collapse threatening national security, this is especially pertinent. Humans and animals cannot feed on megabytes.

More details will be made available once our teams have compiled their reports for our legal objections, pending the release of the planning applications.

What Are We Doing About It?

Two days after we learned about Xlinks' plans to turn our land into a data centre and BESS, we met and started forming a steering committee for a campaign. While the road ahead may be long and tough, we have already made significant progress:

Our direct action at a Torridge Council planning meeting resulted in an application for another nearby BESS being refused, setting a strong precedent.

We have written formally to Torridge District Council, our MP Sir Geoffrey Cox, the Secretary of State for Energy Security, the Minister for Planning, Historic England, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the Woodland Trust, CPRE Devon, and Clinton Devon Estates. Every letter makes the legal and factual case for why these applications must be challenged.

We have secured one early win: the pressure applied by this community, including the above actions, contributed to Xlinks extending the consultation period and postponing the public information days until after the summer. The planning applications will not now be submitted until later this year. That gives us time, and we will use every day of it.

We are encouraging everyone who thinks this is a terrible attack on our precious landscape to take part. This is a national issue requiring national-scale thinking and a factual, logical response to win any courtroom arguments. We are guided by our hearts, but facts will speak for us. Please come forward if you wish to work with us.

Community Meetings

We stage regular meetings in and around Great Torrington to keep the community updated and informed on progress. Keep an eye on our Events page for details.

Notice to Parish Councils, 23 July 2026

Devon Data Centre and BESS Action Group — Statement: Call for Full Transparency in Engagement with Elected/Public Representatives

The Steering Group is aware that at recent meetings of St Giles Parish Council and Great Torrington Town Council, it was reported that representatives of Xlinks had requested closed-door meetings with councillors in relation to the proposed BESS and data centre applications.

The Group has also received reports this week suggesting that Xlinks representatives may be approaching other parish and town councils, and potentially other organisations in the area, with similar requests. We are seeking to confirm the details of these reports and will update this statement as further information becomes available.

Given the clear public interest in Xlinks' proposals, and their potential impact on the communities of Huntshaw, Great Torrington, Weare Giffard, Bideford and the wider parishes affected, the Steering Group believes it is essential that all engagement between Xlinks and all council and organisation representatives takes place openly, is properly minuted, and is accessible to the public.

Our position:

Any meeting between a developer and a parish or town council, or other public-related organisation, concerning a live or anticipated planning application, should be conducted in public session and recorded in the minutes.

Councillors and public-related organisations should not be asked to receive information, briefings, or representations from an applicant on a private or confidential basis where that information may bear on a future planning decision.

This is consistent with the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles), including acting in the public interest, integrity, objectivity, accountability, and the obligation to act and make decisions openly and transparently. No communication or information should be withheld from the public unless there is a clear and lawful reason to do so.

We would encourage any council or organisation approached in this way to decline a private meeting and instead offer the applicant a slot at a public meeting, with reasonable advance notice given to the public.

We would also encourage individual councillors and representatives to record any contact from Xlinks or its representatives in line with their code of conduct and registers of interest.

Recognising good practice: we note that Great Torrington Town Council raised the request for a closed-door meeting openly, in public session, whereupon they rejected the request and insisted it be held in public. We encourage other councils and organisations approached in this way to follow this lead.

We will continue to update residents as this situation develops. If your parish or town council or organisation has been contacted by Xlinks or its representatives, we would welcome hearing from you so we can keep our reporting accurate.

Devon Data Centre and BESS Action Group Steering Group

If your council or organisation has been contacted, please let us know.

Documents

• Site map: available on request — please email us for the latest version.
• Response to Xlinks letter, 25 July 2026.
• Our Constitution and Mission Statement.

(Downloadable copies of these documents will be added here — see the README for how to add a document to this page.)