Residents in Great Torrington, Devon, are protesting a plan by Xlinks to construct an 850-acre AI data center. While Xlinks promises significant economic growth, locals fear the project will devastte the local environment and quality of life.
The £3.6 billion promise versus 850 acres of countryside
The development proposed by Xlinks is framed as a massive economic engine for the region.. According to the report, the company claims the project would contribute £3.6 billion to the UK economy and create between 600 and 1,200 jobs. However, these figures are being weighed against the physical reality of an 850-acre footprint in the Devon countryside.
The sheer scale of the site, located between Great Torrington, Huntshaw, and Weare Gifford, has sparked a massive grassroots response. A petition against the Xlinks project has already secured over 25,500 signatures, while the "Leave Devon Alone" campaign group reports reaching more than 500,000 people. This suggests that the perceived economic benefits are being overshadowed by the perceived loss of rural heritage.
2,300 battery containers and the 65-decibel noise threat
One of the most contentious points of the Xlinks proposal is the industrial nature of the infrastructure. The report indicates that the site would house over 2,300 battery containers, each equipped with cooling systems that can emit noise levels up to 65 decibels. For a community accustomed to the quiet of the Devon hills, this constant industrial hum represents a significant degradation of their living environment.
Furthermore, local critics have accused Xlinks of using deceptive marketing to downplay the project's size. An artist's impression released by Xlinks showed only 112 containers, a figure that residents claim is grossly misleading compared to the actual plan for thousands of units. This discrepancy has fueled a sense of distrust between the developer and the people of Great Torrington.
Mapping errors and the September consultation delay
The administrative handling of the project has also come under fire. Matt Whittaker, a former town trustee, pointed out that initial map outlines provided by Xlinks erroneously included a farmer's land without any prior consultation. While Xlinks eventually revised these maps, the error has been cited as evidence of incompetence or a lack of due diligence.
Trust was further eroded when Xlinks postponed its public consultation period from July to September. As reported, residents have described this delay as "cowardly," arguing that the company is avoiding timely engagement with the community it intends to disrupt. This timeline shift has left many in Great Torrington feeling that the consultation is a formality rather than a genuine dialogue.
The River Torridge and the clash of rural identity
The conflict in Devon is a microcosm of a global tension: the hunger for AI infrastructure versus the preservation of natural landscapes. andrew Giles of the Torrington Conservators has warned that the Xlinks development would cause lasting damage to farming and the character of the community. This echoes similar battles across the UK and US, where the energy and land requirements of "Big AI" are colliding with local zoning and conservation laws.
The environmental stakes are particularly high regarding the River Torridge. residents fear that the massive water usage required to cool AI servers and the risk of chemical contamination could irreparably harm local waterways. The project places heavy industrial infrastructure just one mile from residential areas and schools, challenging the very definition of Devon's rural identity .
Who will verify the water usage for the AI campus?
Despite the outcry, several critical details remain unverified. The report does not specify the exact volume of water Xlinks intends to draw from the River Torridge or the specific mitigation strategies the company plans to use to prevent contamination. Additionally, while Xlinks touts job creation, it remains unclear how many of those 600-1200 roles would actually go to local residents versus imported specialist tech labor.
Because the current reporting relies heavily on the claims of the "Leave Devon Alone" group and local trustees, the full technical rebuttal from Xlinks regarding the 65-decibel noise claims remains absent from the public discourse. Until a transparent, third-party environmental impact study is released, the community's fears regarding the River Torridge remain the primary driver of the opposition.
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