LOCALS in Fife have been left furious after a 1000 year old castle was refused protected status due to plans for an AI data centre to be built on the historic site being at an “advanced stage”.
Residents of Auchtertool have been left appalled after plans to save the nearby Hallyards Castle from being destroyed so that a 600MW hyperscale data centre can be built were refused by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
A bid to have the historic site listed as a scheduled monument was turned down by HES on the grounds that “the proposals for the Cato data centre site, which affect the site, are at an advanced stage”.
The government body told campaigners: “In such circumstances, we normally avoid intervening in the planning process or other regulatory processes by adding a new designation.”
ILI Group has logged plans with Fife Council to build the hyperscale AI data centre, which the developers say would be a £5 billion investment in the local area.
However, locals have raised concerns over the 25-hectare industrial-scale facility’s proximity to Auchtertool, which has around 200 homes, and renderings of the plans appearing to show the development over the site of Hallyards Castle.
It is believed the ancient building was inhabited almost 1000 years ago, during the reign of King Malcolm Canmore, and there are concerns it will be demolished to make way for the data centre.
Liam Stewart, who has researched the ancient rural community of Auchtertool and applied for the castle’s listing, has blasted HES decision not to intervene, according to The Herald.
“The community is deeply disappointed by Historic Environment Scotland’s decision,” he said.
“We are constantly being told by the Scottish Government that these hyperscale data centres should only go ahead with the consent of communities.
“Well, I would like to tell the Scottish Government that this community does not consent.”
An ILI Group spokesperson said the company “recognises the importance of Hallyards to local people” and has said that the castle would be “fully excavated and recorded by qualified archaeologists” before any construction would begin.
The proposal for the Cato data centre is currently awaiting decision by Fife Council.
Last month, MSPs voted in favour of a pause on planning and consent decisions on data centres for 12 months until the Scottish Government publishes national planning guidance.
An SNP amendment to the legislation said “new hyper-scale data centres in Scotland will only be approved where they have met robust environmental impact assessments”, but the party did not back a full moratorium on data centres.
The delay, however, the HES designation decision said, “does not alter the development proposals for this site, which remain at an advanced stage”.
HES argued that “although our assessment demonstrates that Camilla (formerly Hallyards) Castle is of national importance, we do not intend to designate this site as a scheduled monument at this time”.
Adding: “There may be an opportunity to consider the site again in the future once the planning process has concluded.”
In its designation report, HES described the monument as “the remains of a castle planned around a courtyard, believed to date to the 16th and 17th centuries” and, since it was previously inhabited, “a rare example of a medieval bishop’s residence which later became a secular castle”.
Adding: “It has the potential to tell us about the form and character of ecclesiastical residences during the medieval period, as well as their positioning within the landscape.”
Jonathan Matheson-Dear, a member of the Auchtertool Action Group, said that it is “beyond belief that a developer has such little respect for our great nation’s history”.
He said: “We urgently need the Scottish Government to work with communities to develop planning guidance for hyperscale data centres that stops developers like ILI riding roughshod over our cultural heritage sites.”
Meanwhile, Andrea Cail, chair of Auchtertool Community Council, said: “To claim the planning process is at an advanced stage is nonsensical.
“The application for listing was submitted shortly after ILI submitted a planning-in-principle application.
“This is not a full planning application. Furthermore, the developer is still to submit a detailed environmental impact assessment.”
Hallyards Castle is strongly associated with the Kirkcaldys of Grange; Sir James Kirkcaldy and Sir William Kirkcaldy, who both played significant roles during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots.
An ILI Group spokesperson said the plans for the data centre will incorporate Fife Council’s heritage officers' recommendations that the stonework should be “meaningfully incorporated into the site”.
They said: “We recognise the importance of Hallyards to local people and our intention is to ensure its history and heritage are carefully recorded and reflected as part of the proposals for the site.
“Before any construction, the site would be fully excavated and recorded by qualified archaeologists, with the findings published. The remaining stonework would then be carefully dismantled, with material reused elsewhere on the site in a publicly accessible setting, alongside interpretation of its history, meaning that Hallyards would be properly understood and presented for the first time in generations.
“This approach reflects advice from Fife Council’s heritage officers that the stonework should be meaningfully incorporated into the site. We would welcome the opportunity to continue working with the Council and Historic Environment Scotland as the proposals progress.
“The full Environmental Impact Assessment will set out these proposals in further detail.”
