CAMPAIGNING TO PROTECT DEVON’S COUNTRYSIDE
Fight the proposed Devon AI Data Centre and BESS
Help us protect 850 acres of North Devon’s precious farmland from an AI Data Centre and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
FIGHT THE PROPOSED DEVON MEGA-SOLAR SITES
Help us save 2,700 acres of prime farmland at Holsworthy; 279 more acres at Alverdiscott; and 147 acres at Talaton, East Devon
Protecting Devon’s Countryside Since 1926
A failed planning system, a government policy to build millions more houses than we need – of the wrong type, at the wrong price, in the wrong places – and a runaway energy policy targeting thousands of acres of our productive farmland mean that today Devon’s countryside is threatened as never before. CPRE was founded to preserve and protect the rural environment, and has been doing just that since 1926.
Devon CPRE is an independent local charity that fights to prevent poor planning and bad policies destroying the rural landscapes that are Devon’s unique heritage. We offer professional planning expertise and a wealth of experience to help our members fight inappropriate development throughout the county.
We’re funded solely by members’ subscriptions, donations and legacies.
Please join us. Please support us. Your countryside needs you.
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We fight bad planning and bad government policy that threatens Devon’s countryside
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We had a great day at the Holsworthy Show yesterday.
It was a fantastic opportunity to continue spreading the word about our campaign to stop the Devon Data Centre Monster.
Thank you also to Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP (Torridge & Tavistock) for spending time with us.
Over 3,000 people have now signed up to join our army of Registered Objectors to the AI Data Centre and BESS proposal on 850 acres of North Devon’s precious farmland.
If you’ve not yet signed it here’s the link, and please share it far and wide: devoncpre.org.uk/data-centre-and-battery-field
Devon Live, with responses from Xlinks and Torridge District Council.....
Huge data centre kept from Devon residents for over a year
www.devonlive.com
Developers say the "preliminary site layouts" are now "out of date"
Great Torrington data centre FOI documents reveal 40m halls.
Plans for a vast AI data campus have come under fresh scrutiny after campaigners obtained documents they say reveal detailed site designs were shared with council officers more than a year before the proposal became public.
Devon CPRE and the Devon Data & BESS Action Group, which oppose the scheme, say the documents relate to an 850-acre AI data campus with associated battery storage on farmland between Great Torrington, Huntshaw and Weare Giffard.
The campaign groups say Xlinks had corresponded with Torridge District Council and shared detailed plans for the site from March 2025, despite the developer telling the public and campaigners that many aspects of the project had yet to be decided.
Read more on the link below...
EDIT: We have now been informed that not all Torridge councillors were aware of the all the facts until this FOI was released.
New documents reveal scale of 40m-high halls in giant Devon data centre plan
www.midweekherald.co.uk
Plans for a vast AI data campus have come under fresh scrutiny after campaigners obtained documents they say reveal detailed site designs were…
Don't forget we'll be at the Holsworthy Show this Thursday.
If you can, please come along to support us and find out more about how you can help us fight to preserve our precious countryside.
📍 Holsworthy Show – Thursday 27th August
📢 Andy Burnham is set to give mayors new authority over local planning — including the power to greenlight large developments and a bigger say over national housing funding.📢 Andy Burnham is set to give mayors new authority over local planning — including the power to greenlight large developments and a bigger say over national housing funding.
If Andy Burnham wants real devolution, he should let mayors set their own housing targets. Ambitious plans at the local level – including for many more social and genuinely affordable homes – will do more to fix housing crisis than top-down directives from Whitehall.
Letting mayors force through decisions their own communities have already rejected isn't empowerment. It's central government finding a new way to bypass local democracy.
bit.ly/4gNpheh
Watch our latest video explaining what we have been up to at agricultural shows across Devon this summer, highlighting the threats posed by a proposed AI Data Campus and Battery Energy Storage System on open farmland near Torrington.
We still need your support.
As an independent charity, CPRE Devon relies entirely on membership subscriptions and donations to fund our campaigning and advocacy work. Your support enables us to continue to scrutinise planning applications, influence planning policy, represent local communities and ensure that people's voices are heard throughout the planning process.
For 100 years, Devon CPRE has been the only independent charity with the professional planning expertise to challenge inappropriate developments and poor planning policies that threaten our countryside.
Together, we have a much stronger voice.
Join today, and help protect Devon's countryside for future generations.
Become a member: cpredevon.org.uk/join-us
Please share this message and help us reach others who care about Devon's future.
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
On Monday, the Government announced its long-awaited revised NPPF. We are still studying the details, but some of the headlines the Government have announced are:
- Stronger in-principle support for development, meaning a more explicit presumption in favour of development in sustainable locations, including development within settlements.
- Housing delivery and densification aimed at increasing housing supply through “default yes” support around well-connected stations and minimum density expectations around stations.
- Communities, design and accessibility changes including a national minimum number (40%) of accessible homes on major developments and stronger protections for community facilities.
- Stronger support for growth and infrastructure, including support for AI Growth Zones and data centres.
And hidden in the small print, we've noticed changes to the guidance around traveller sites with the removal of wording about potential environmental damage, which could make it harder for councils and local communities to resist planning applications.
Roger Mortlock, CEO of CPRE, has commented:
‘Andy Burnham arrived at Number 10 promising greater devolution. Today’s National Planning Policy Framework appears to straitjacket local leaders, especially in rural England, with a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the realities on the ground.
‘A "default yes" to development near any train station, regardless of its capacity, will see thousands of homes built in places with no prospect of extra trains or other essential infrastructure. Integrating new homes with public transport is good for people and the planet but this blanket approach risks locking in car dependency while putting the Green Belt and other protected landscapes at risk.
‘The same goes for data centres. Fast- tracking these huge developments without thinking through their environmental impact will hand big corporations the keys to some of our most beautiful landscapes and leave the countryside to pay the price for Silicon Valley’s UK gold rush.
‘Local leaders should not be slaves to meaningless national targets. If the government is serious about devolution, it should give mayors and new Strategic Authorities the power to set their own housing targets based on local need and demand.’
We’re still studying the details of the proposed NPPF changes and what they could mean for planning, development and our countryside here in Devon. We’ll be sharing our full response soon, including what we believe the changes could mean for Devon’s communities and landscapes. In the meantime, you can help strengthen our voice. Join Devon CPRE and support our work to fight inappropriate development and protect Devon’s precious countryside for generations to come:
www.cpredevon.org.uk
Join us, for Devon’s sake What Do I Have To Do? As a member, you have the choice. You don’t have to do anything: but...
Don't forget we'll be at another two shows in the coming weeks.
If you can, please come along to support us and find out more about how you can help us fight to preserve our precious countryside.
📍Chagford Show – Thursday 20th August
📍 Holsworthy Show – Thursday 27th August
Devon CPRE and the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group are celebrating a resounding success following a planning inspector’s decision to dismiss a developer’s appeal to construct a large Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Raymond’s Hill, near Hawkchurch, in East Devon.
With the backing of Devon CPRE, the local action group had fiercely fought a proposal for a BESS the size of a factory, consisting of large metal battery containers set in rows on concrete, on open farmland at Hawkchurch.
Read more below...
Action groups celebrate success after massive battery farm blocked
www.midweekherald.co.uk
Devon CPRE and the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group are celebrating a resounding success following a planning inspector’s decision to…
If you care about Devon's future, one of the most powerful ways you can help is by becoming a member of Devon CPRE. As an independent charity, CPRE Devon relies entirely on membership subscriptions and donations to fund our campaigning and advocacy work. Your support enables us to continue to scrutinise planning applications, influence planning policy, represent local communities and ensure that people's voices are heard throughout the planning process.
For 100 years, Devon CPRE has been the only independent charity with the professional planning expertise to challenge inappropriate developments and poor planning policies that threaten our countryside.
Together, we have a much stronger voice.
Join today, and help protect Devon's countryside for future generations.
Become a member: cpredevon.org.uk/join-us
Please share this message and help us reach others who care about Devon's future 🫶🏼
Spreading the word about our Devon Data Monster campaign at the Summer Shows!
Please help us fight off massive AI data centre and BESS proposal in the countryside in North Devon. Please join our army of registered objectors. Sign & share. #datacentre #bess @CommunityPlann1 #devon #countryside #farmland @NetZeroWatch @NoFarmsNoFoods
AI Data Centre and Battery Field - CPRE
HELP US FIGHT OFF THE MASSIVE DATA CENTRE & BATTERY FIELD The proposal to build 5 data centres, each the height of Exeter Cathedral, plus...
devoncpre.org.uk
We had a great day at the #holsworthy show yesterday, highlighing our campaign to stop the Devon Data Monster -the AI #datacentre & BESS proposal nr #torrington Thanks to everybody who has signed up to be an objector. And many thanks to @Geoffrey_Cox for spending time with us.
We're looking forward to the Holsworthy Show tomorrow! Come and find out more about the Devon Data Monster and our campaign to stop it! #holsworthy #devon #datacentre #torridge #northdevon #planning #torrington #bess
Surely it shouldn’t take freedom of information requests to find out more details about this monstrous proposal? #devon #datacentre #planning @Geoffrey_Cox @CommunityPlann1
New details of Xlinks’ massive greenfield Devon Data Centre proposal disclosed
Campaigners against the giant data centre proposed at Great Torrington have discovered that the developers behind the ...
www.themoorlander.co.uk
Devon data centre campaign - Freedom of Information requests reveal more details of this monstrous proposal.
#datacentre #bess #devon #northdevon #planning #torrington #torridge @Geoffrey_Cox @CommunityPlann1
New documents reveal scale of 40m-high halls in giant Devon data centre plan
Plans for a vast AI data campus have come under fresh scrutiny after campaigners obtained documents they say reveal detailed site designs were…
www.midweekherald.co.uk
We're looking forward to the Chagford Show tomorrow! Come and find out more about the Devon Data Monster and our campaign to stop it! #chagfordshow #chagford #devon #dartmoor #datacentre #battery #planning #countryside #torrington #torridge #northdevon
Massive Devon Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) appeal thrown out by planning inspector. #devon #eastdevon #planning #battery
Action groups celebrate success after massive battery farm blocked
Devon CPRE and the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group are celebrating a resounding success following a planning inspector’s decision to…
www.midweekherald.co.uk
Fantastic news that the appeal for a large #battery energy storage system (BESS) in East Devon has been dismissed. This is an important decision & should give encouragement to others opposing such proposals in the #countryside. #devon @CommunityPlann1
East Devon Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) - APPEAL DISMISSED - A victory for People Power! -...
Devon CPRE and the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group are celebrating a resounding success following a Plannin...
www.cpredevon.org.uk
We are out & about at the summer shows this month throughout #Devon Come & find out about our campaign to stop the Devon Data Monster! Next stop - Chagford Show, 20th August. Join our army of registered objectors. https://devoncpre.org.uk/data-centre-and-battery-field/ #datacentre #batteries #northdevon
The thousands of batteries being deployed to stabilise Britain’s electricity networks could bring down the grid, government experts have warned. Ministers have been warned of the risk of a crash if operators all try to charge up their batteries at the same time to avoid an energy
Become a member
Devon CPRE is a charity sustained by its members. By joining, you’ll not only support our campaigns to defend Devon from bad planning decisions, but also join the many thousands of CPRE members across the nation who are committed to celebrating, protecting and enhancing England’s incredible rural environments. Here’s what you get:
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LATEST CAMPAIGN NEWS & REPORTS
Seminar – Understanding the Grid, and Battery Energy Storage Systems. 24th September 2026, 7pm, Alverdiscott Village Hall, Stoney Cross, Bideford EX39 4PZ
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Defend Devon – Make Sure Your Voice Is Heard
Our members and donors are vital to keeping us going, but we also need to have the loudest possible voice to influence local authorities and governments.
If you’re not yet ready to join, but agree with our aims and want Devon protected from badly-planned developments and misguided government policies, sign up as a Devon Defender. We’ll keep you informed about our work and major campaigns, and make sure your voice and thousands of others are heard loud and clear.
Thanks to Joe Ashworth, Peter Benson and Reinhold Staden for their superb professional photography of Devon’s glorious countryside.