{"id":791032,"date":"2026-10-03T20:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T20:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/791032\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T20:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T20:42:19","slug":"fury-as-1000-year-old-fife-castle-to-be-destroyed-for-ai-data-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/791032\/","title":{"rendered":"Fury as 1000-year-old Fife castle to be destroyed for AI data centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n 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<\/a> Scotland (HES).\n<\/p>\n

\n A bid to have the historic site listed as a scheduled monument was turned down by HES on the grounds that \u201cthe proposals for the Cato data centre site, which affect the site, are at an advanced stage\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n The government body told campaigners: \u201cIn such circumstances, we normally avoid intervening in the planning process or other regulatory processes by adding a new designation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n READ MORE: Plans for new multi-million-pound electric ferry for Highlands hits ‘major milestone’<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n ILI Group has logged plans with Fife Council to build the hyperscale AI data centre, which the developers say would be a \u00a35 billion investment in the local area.\n<\/p>\n

\n However, locals have raised concerns over the 25-hectare industrial-scale facility\u2019s proximity to Auchtertool, which has around 200 homes, and renderings of the plans appearing to show the development over the site of Hallyards Castle.\n<\/p>\n

\n 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.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n Liam Stewart, who has researched the ancient rural community of Auchtertool and applied for the castle\u2019s listing, has blasted HES decision not to intervene, according to The Herald<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe community is deeply disappointed by Historic Environment Scotland\u2019s decision,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe are constantly being told by the Scottish Government<\/a> that these hyperscale data centres should only go ahead with the consent of communities.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWell, I would like to tell the Scottish Government that this community does not consent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n An ILI Group spokesperson said the company \u201crecognises the importance of Hallyards to local people\u201d and has said that the castle would be \u201cfully excavated and recorded by qualified archaeologists\u201d before any construction would begin.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n The proposal for the Cato data centre is currently awaiting decision by Fife Council.\n<\/p>\n

\n An artistic impression of the Cato data centre (Image: Ili Energy Group)\n<\/p>\n

\n Last month, MSPs voted in favour of a pause on planning and consent decisions on data centres for 12 months<\/a> until the Scottish Government publishes national planning guidance.\n<\/p>\n

\n An SNP<\/a> amendment to the legislation said \u201cnew hyper-scale data centres in Scotland will only be approved where they have met robust environmental impact assessments\u201d, but the party did not back a full moratorium on data centres.\n<\/p>\n

\n The delay, however, the HES designation decision said, \u201cdoes not alter the development proposals for this site, which remain at an advanced stage\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n HES argued that \u201calthough 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\u201d.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n Adding: \u201cThere may be an opportunity to consider the site again in the future once the planning process has concluded.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n READ MORE: MacIntyre ignites his Dunhill defence with a 65 as Stewart stays in the hunt<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n In its designation report, HES described the monument as \u201cthe remains of a castle planned around a courtyard, believed to date to the 16th and 17th centuries\u201d and, since it was previously inhabited, \u201ca rare example of a medieval bishop\u2019s residence which later became a secular castle\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n Adding: \u201cIt 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Jonathan Matheson-Dear, a member of the Auchtertool Action Group, said that it is \u201cbeyond belief that a developer has such little respect for our great nation\u2019s history\u201d.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n He said: \u201cWe 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Campaigners against the Cato data centre outside the Scottish Parliament earlier this year (Image: Vicky Allan)\n<\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, Andrea Cail, chair of Auchtertool Community Council, said: \u201cTo claim the planning process is at an advanced stage is nonsensical.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe application for listing was submitted shortly after ILI submitted a planning-in-principle application.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis is not a full planning application. Furthermore, the developer is still to submit a detailed environmental impact assessment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Hallyards Castle is strongly associated with the Kirkcaldys of Grange; Sir James Kirkcaldy<\/a> and Sir William Kirkcaldy, who both played significant roles during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots.\n<\/p>\n

\n READ MORE: North Lanarkshire councillors reject motion seeking scrutiny of AI data centres<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n An ILI Group spokesperson said the plans for the data centre will incorporate Fife Council\u2019s heritage officers’ recommendations that the stonework should be \u201cmeaningfully incorporated into the site\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n They said: \u201cWe 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.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cBefore 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.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis approach reflects advice from Fife Council\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe full Environmental Impact Assessment will set out these proposals in further detail.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Residents of Auchtertool have been left appalled after plans to save the nearby Hallyards Castle from being destroyed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-791032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}