Wednesday October 21st 2026
Photo: Office of Laura Moodie
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Scottish Green MSP Laura Moodie has backed a new community campaign against plans for a massive data centre near Leitholm, following a meeting with local residents.
The newly formed Stop Leitholm Data Centre campaign is raising awareness of proposals by developer Apatura for a data centre at Laundry Field, near the village of Leitholm in the Scottish Borders.
The development, which has been reported as having a proposed capacity of 300MW, has raised concerns about the potential impact on local farmland, the environment and Scotland’s energy infrastructure.
Laura met with campaigners to discuss their concerns, offer support and explore ways to raise awareness of the proposals.
The meeting comes amid growing concern about the number of large data centres being proposed across Scotland, with the Scottish Parliament backing calls for new national planning guidance to address their environmental and energy impacts.
Laura said: “It was great to meet the residents who are getting this campaign off the ground. They’re clearly passionate about protecting their community and making sure local people have a say in its future.
“We’re talking about an enormous industrial development on rural farmland, with potentially huge energy demand. People have every right to question whether this is the right place for it, what the environmental consequences could be, and what the local community would actually get in return.
“Across Scotland, we’re seeing more and more of these massive data centres proposed, often with little clarity about their wider impact on our energy system, environment and communities.
“The Scottish Greens have been clear that we need proper national rules for these developments, rather than allowing huge decisions about Scotland’s energy future to be made one planning application at a time.
“I’m really pleased to support the campaigners in Leitholm, and I’d encourage everyone in the area to find out more, ask questions and get involved. The more people who make their voices heard, the harder it will be for their concerns to be ignored.”
Rachel Hardie, from Stop Leitholm Data Centre, said: “We’re really keen that more people know about this proposal and join our campaign.”
The group is now working to build local support and raise awareness of the development among residents in Leitholm, Coldstream and the surrounding area.
Anyone interested in learning more or getting involved can contact stopleitholmdatacentre@yahoo.com, or find Stop Leitholm Data Centre on Facebook and Instagram.
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