Refused - now at appealScotland, Scotland

South Gyle data centre (1 Redheughs Avenue, former RBS headquarters site)

Councillors refused planning permission in principle on 4 February 2026; the developer appealed. On 30 July 2026 the DPEA issued a screening direction that an EIA is required, the appellant confirmed on 12 August that it will submit an EIA Report, and on 17 August 2026 Scottish Ministers recalled the appeal to decide it themselves. The case is on hold; no EIA Report or Ministers' decision had been found by 3 October 2026. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}

Key facts

Status: Refused - now at appeal (appeal lodged) ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Decided by: Scottish Ministers (appeal recalled from the DPEA reporter on 17 August 2026) ^{[S1] [S2] [S5]}
Applicant: Shelborn Drummond Ltd ^{[S1] [S5]}
Developer or backer: Shelborn (spelt 'Shelburn' and 'Shelborne' in some press); landowner/applicant per Edinburgh News
References: 25/04239/PPP; 25/03575/SCR; PPA-230-2794
Location: Former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters site at Redheughs Avenue, South Gyle / Edinburgh Park, west Edinburgh. Edinburgh News calls it the 'Edinburgh Park' site. ^{[S1] [S3] [S7]}
IT capacity: 212.42MW ^{[S7] [S4]}
Backup generators: About 200 diesel backup generators (reported as the basis of the reporter's concern); campaigners compare this to '100,000 idling cars-worth of diesel'. ^{[S10] [S4] [S6]}
Cooling and water: Council refusal discussion noted air-cooling efficiency not demonstrated and no pre-engagement with Scottish Water on water use (press account of councillors' reasons). ^{[S10] [S4] [S6]}
Previous use: Former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters site; office/mixed-use development area in City Plan 2030 (Place 19, Edinburgh Park) ^{[S1] [S6] [S7]}
Environmental assessment: Council screening said no EIA needed. DPEA Screening Direction of 30 July 2026 requires an EIA; appellant confirmed 12 August 2026 it will submit an EIA Report. EIA Report not yet found as at 3 October 2026. ^{[S1] [S6] [S7]}

Timeline

18 August 2025
Application 25/04239/PPP submitted to City of Edinburgh Council ^[S1]
4 February 2026
Development Management Sub-Committee refuses planning permission in principle, against officer recommendation to approve (unanimous per press). Refusal grounds per APRS: NPF4 policies 1 and 2, and City Plan Place 19 ^{[S3] [S6] [S8]}
9 February 2026
Council decision recorded on DPEA case page (decision notice date) ^[S1]
31 March 2026
Appeal received by the DPEA ^[S1]
30 July 2026
DPEA issues Screening Direction: EIA required (overturns council screening 25/03575/SCR) ^[S1]
4 August 2026
Data Centre Review reports the EIA ruling (publication date, not ruling date) ^[S4]
12 August 2026
Appellant's agent confirms the appellant will submit an EIA Report ^[S1]
17 August 2026
Scottish Ministers recall the appeal (Re-call Direction); case on hold, DPEA target date shown as 20 November 2026 ^{[S1] [S2]}
16 September 2026
Scottish Parliament votes that no hyperscale data centre planning decisions be made until national guidance is complete ^[S15]
17 September 2026
Scottish Ministers' EIA direction for data centres over 50MW comes into force ^[S17]

Politicians and organisations

City of Edinburgh Council voted in March 2026 to call for a national moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres (per APRS)
Councillor Alys Mumford (Green) questioned the 'green' claim at committee
APRS
ERCS Legal Ltd (interested party in the appeal, per DPEA case page)
The Cockburn Association (published commentary)

Claims

Claims by developers, campaigners or councils, recorded as claims and not checked as fact.

Shelborn Drummond Ltd (as described in the DPEA project description) (developer): Proposal is a 'green data centre' with public park, sports facilities and active travel routes ^[S1]
Foxglove (emissions), APRS (household equivalent) (campaigners): Over 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas a year, comparable to Edinburgh Airport; electricity use equal to about 500,000 Scottish households ^{[S10] [S11] [S9]}
As reported from the committee papers by APRS; not checked against the report (other): About 39 staff and 200+ car parking spaces ^[S8]

Campaigns

APRS South Gyle page and national data centre campaign
No Gyle data centre residents' group
STOP Hyperscale AI DATA CENTRE at Hermiston, Edinburgh (also raises the Gyle site) (5,853 signatures)
Foxglove: Edinburgh Council - require EIAs for massive new data centres

Sources

[S1] DPEA case PPA-230-2794, 1 Redheughs Avenue (case page and timeline). Planning and Environmental Appeals Division, Scottish Government, 17 August 2026. Level 1 source.
[S2] Data centre planning direction. Scottish Government, 17 August 2026. Level 1 source.
[S3] Development Management Sub-Committee webcast, Wednesday 4 February 2026 (items 6a and 6b, application 25/04239/PPP). City of Edinburgh Council, 4 February 2026. Level 1 source.
[S4] Rejected Edinburgh data centre needs EIA before appeal, says Scottish Gov. Data Centre Review, 4 August 2026. Level 5 source.
[S5] Scottish Government intervenes over two proposed data centres in Edinburgh. Edinburgh News, 17 August 2026. Level 4 source.
[S6] Controversial Edinburgh data centre plan thrown out by councillors. Edinburgh News. Level 4 source.
[S7] South Gyle (Edinburgh) site page. Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS). Level 6 source.
[S8] Edinburgh Data Centre Refused (press release). APRS. Level 6 source.
[S9] Edinburgh Data Centre developers appeal. APRS. Level 6 source.
[S10] Scottish Government rules environmental report needed for Edinburgh AI data centre. inkl (syndicated report), 4 August 2026. Level 4 source.
[S11] Edinburgh Council - require Environmental Impact Assessments for massive new data centres. Foxglove, 9 December 2025. Level 6 source.
[S12] Foxglove campaigns list (first page). Foxglove. Level 6 source.
[S13] Petition: STOP Hyperscale AI DATA CENTRE at Hermiston, Edinburgh. Change.org (Gordon Fraser), 17 March 2026. Level 6 source.
[S14] Petition update: URGENT CALL for the First Minister's Intervention. Change.org (Gordon Fraser), 28 April 2026. Level 6 source.
[S15] MSPs reject datacentre moratorium but pause planning decisions. Computer Weekly, 17 September 2026. Level 5 source.
[S16] Data Centre Map (status table, last updated 13 August 2026). APRS, 13 August 2026. Level 6 source.
[S17] Data centres: Chief Planner Letter and EIA Direction. Scottish Government, 16 September 2026. Level 1 source.
[S18] Green Claims Meet Planning Reality: Lessons from Edinburgh's South Gyle Data Centre Rejection. The Cockburn Association. Level 6 source.

Take action on this scheme

Record

Confidence: medium
Last checked: 3 October 2026
Status as of: 3 October 2026

Spotted a mistake? hello@datacentrewatch.uk

Not yet confirmed

Council portal pages (application, decision notice, committee report) were not opened: refusal reasons come from APRS and press
Whether the appellant has lodged the EIA Report since 12 August 2026
Whether the DPEA target date of 20 November 2026 still stands now the case is on hold and Parliament has voted for a pause
Site area, number of public objections, and any statutory consultee positions (not found in sources reached)
Whether a Foxglove Edinburgh EIA email action is still live (page online with no closure notice, ask overtaken)

Where sources disagree

date of EIA ruling: about 30 July 2026 with 21 days (skill note and inkl); 4 August 2026 with a 20 August deadline (Data Centre Review). Preferred: 2026-07-30. DPEA page lists the Screening Direction dated 30 July 2026; 4 August is the Data Centre Review publication date; 20 August is 30 July plus 21 days. The appellant confirmed on 12 August, before the deadline.
refusal date: 4 February 2026 (committee webcast, APRS); 9 February 2026 (DPEA 'authority decision' date); Deadline News report dated 4 February 2026. Preferred: 2026-02-04. Committee meeting date from the council webcast; 9 February is the decision notice date.
appeal filing date: 21 April 2026 (APRS news page); 31 March 2026 (DPEA receipt); 30 March 2026 appeal statement (APRS site page). Preferred: 2026-03-31. DPEA primary record.
who decides: DPEA reporter (before 17 August); Scottish Ministers (after recall). Preferred: Scottish Ministers. DPEA and gov.scot both record the recall on 17 August 2026. gov.scot process note: Ministers receive a reporter's recommendation first.
EIA screening reference: 25/03575/SCR (discovery note); APRS page says 'EIA screening: not requested' while map says 'Local authority determined EIA not required'. Preferred: 25/03575/SCR. Reference carried from the discovery record and skill note; not confirmed on the council portal.
capacity: 212.42MW (APRS); 210MW (press); 210-213MW peak (Cockburn Association). Preferred: 212.42MW. APRS quoting application documents; press rounds it.