North Devon Council's Secret AI Data Centre Plans Spark Controversy
Hamid Siddiqui
News
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A council in North Devon secretly supported an AI data centre plan over a year before public awareness. Documents reveal private talks with developer Xlinks since March 2025. The £13.8bn project aims to create 600 to 1,200 jobs. Local campaigners express concerns over environmental impact. A petition for a pause on similar projects has garnered 36,000 signatures. The government rejected the petition on September 17.