Plans for a major new digital ‘green data’ campus on farmland in Coldstream have moved closer to reality.

An application for an environmental screening opinion was submitted by the company Apatrura to Scottish Borders Council in relation to the proposed campus on land north and east of Stainrigg Mains Farm.

An environmental screening opinion is a formal process where a developer asks a local planning authority to determine if a proposed development requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

It helps determine if a project is likely to have “significant effects” on the environment before a full planning application is submitted.

Now SBC planners, while acknowledging that the site is “vast”, have deemed that a EIA is not required.

In his report, Scott Shearer, the council’s principal planning officer, states: “The requirement for EIA is dependent on whether or not the council as planning authority considers the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue of factors such as its nature, size or location.

“It is the view of the council as planning authority that the impacts of the proposal would not require to be subject of an Environmental Impact Assessment.

“It is unlikely that the development will impact on any of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest within 5km of the site due to the distance of the development to these designations.”

The application, which would incorporate a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), would comprise of a flexible data centre campus, including ancillary offices, internal/external plant and equipment, emergency backup generators and associated fuel storage.

A data centre is a specialised facility used for storing, processing, and managing large amounts of data and applications, as well as supporting the IT infrastructure of businesses and organisations.

Essentially, they house the servers, storage, and networking equipment that are the backbone of digital operations, powering everything from web hosting to cloud computing.

A report with the original application, from Apatura, a company which designs and operates essential infrastructure that powers renewable energy transition and the growing digital economy, stated that the proposed development would make a “nationally significant contribution to Scotland”.

It added: “The land is largely in arable use. It is gently sloping and the land rises from its southern boundary before falling to its northern boundary with Laprig Burn.

“The project will involve a change in land use from agricultural land.

“However, the effects are considered to be of local significance, and mitigation measures to offset the loss of vegetation, including new planting, the creation of wildlife habitats, and ecological enhancements, can be implemented for the development.

“The proposed development would make a nationally significant contribution to Scotland. ‘Green Data Centres’ are recognised to contribute to the ‘Digital Fibre Network’ policy priority across Scotland.

“The future design of the scheme can be planned to preserve any existing green infrastructure, ensuring the protection of ecological corridors while also screening from the surrounding areas.

“Given these measures, it is highly unlikely that the proposed development will result in a significant loss of natural resources, and no substantial adverse impacts on the land are expected.”

 

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