PLANNING applications for large data centres are set to face more stringent environmental requirements, the Scottish Government has announced.
A newly published planning direction requires an environmental impact assessment to be submitted during planning for all new data centres with a power capacity exceeding 50MW.
The move follows a direction last month requiring planning authorities to notify Scottish Ministers of all new data centre applications within seven days of validation.
Scottish Government public finance minister, Hannah Mary Goodlad, said, “The Scottish Government recognises that data centres are a rapidly evolving sector attracting a broad range of views, opinions and concerns, and that evidence on the environmental impact of data centres continues to develop.
“As this is an emerging industry, we have the opportunity to get this right from the start. The guidance issued today is the next step in that process.
“We must balance the economic and employment interests in developing data centres with national energy, climate and community wealth building ambitions, which are vital to our future prosperity, as well as the potential impact on local communities.
“Ensuring that an environmental impact assessment is always part of the application process will create a level playing field for developers and will ensure potentially significant environmental effects are considered from the outset.”
The new direction has been developed with input from the Scottish Science Advisory Council (SSAC), Scotland’s highest level science advisory body. It provides independent advice and recommendations on science strategy, policy and priorities, through its chair, to the chief scientific adviser for Scotland and to Scottish ministers.
An environmental impact assessment is a means of drawing together, in a systematic way, an assessment of the likely significant environmental effects arising from a proposed development.
Where a planning application does not meet the 50MW threshold and falls outwith the scope of the direction, it must still be considered under established EIA regulations. This means the need for EIA would be determined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with existing legislative criteria, taking into account the circumstances of the case.
