Councillors in North Lanarkshire have voted down a motion which called on the local authority to look further into the potential impact of AI data centres.
During a meeting of the full council, the motion was introduced by independent councillor for Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn, Greg Lennon.
He acknowledged that the situation had moved on since he originally lodged the text of his motion due to recent government actions including the introduction of new protective measures.
Lennon added that there was a “huge” amount of public interest in data centres, and the council itself had actively promoted North Lanarkshire as a major future AI location.
He said that his motion asked questions about the cumulative electricity demand from the national grid to serve data centres, as well as other implications in terms of water drainage, noise, transport and emergency resilience, and what North Lanarkshire would actually get out of it in permanent jobs, business rates and any community benefits.
Lennon added that he wanted to know how much additional pressure applications for data centres would place on the planning service.
“When we hear claims of billions of pounds of investment and thousands of jobs I want members of the public to be absolutely clear about what is confirmed fact and what is a projection, and what has come from developers and investors,” he said.
Lennon said he was not prejudiced against data centres and his motion recognised the opportunities they represent, but being positive about investment did not mean difficult questions should not be asked.
An amendment was led by Tom Fisher (Labour, Cumbernauld North) who said the motion was “rushing in” with notes, calls, and demands for letters to the Scottish Government.
“Officers are busy enough without us second guessing the Scottish Government on its proposed national planning guidance on this matter,” he said, adding that the council should wait until that guidance has been published, and then the issue could be brought back to a future meeting.
During debate, Lennon highlighted numerous articles which stated North Lanarkshire was to receive £8.2 billion in investment and the creation of thousands of jobs as it transformed into a global leader in AI, saying that more clarity was required and his motion sought to establish what was confirmed fact, and what was projection.
A total of 63 councillors voted for Fisher’s amendment to wait for the Scottish Government to publish its national guidance, while eight supported the motion and one abstained.
