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.
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Devon CPRE adds its voice to growing opposition to North Tawton solar farm proposal.
Devon CPRE has objected to a planning application to build a solar farm and associated infrastructure on 30 acres of good agricultural land south of Arla Foods’ Taw Valley Creamery in North Tawton, adding to objections from local residents and the town council. The proposal is for a 5-megawatt solar farm including inverters, transformers, cables, CCTV, access tracks, perimeter fencing and landscape works.
It's the third time an application has been made to construct a solar farm on this piece of arable farmland, of which more than 90% is classified as Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land, including 79.2% Grade 2 and 11.4% Grade 3a agricultural land. In the land, soil and management plans submitted in support of the solar farm, the applicant acknowledges that the proposal is“not in full compliance with local and national planning policy and guidance with regard to the use of BMV land.”
SSE Energy has submitted the application in partnership with the Arla factory that’s adjacent to the site. It would involve constructing 9,464 photovoltaic panels and associated equipment to provide energy to the plant. The applicant's Alternative Site Assessment (ASA) considers a search area of approximately 3km around the Creamery, with the preferred location principally influenced by the availability and efficiency of the proposed grid connection. Several of the alternative sites identified by the applicant are of lower agricultural quality, including Grade 4 land, while another comprises a mixture of Grade 2 and Grade 4 land.
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “Food security is becoming a major issue and good farmland should not be used to produce a negligible amount of electricity and then mostly only when the sun shines in summer during the daytime.
“The applicant has acknowledged that their proposal does not comply with local and national planning guidance. Ease of access to a grid connection should not determine this application; the use of BMV land is avoidable. Other sites with lower-quality farmland could reasonably accommodate the development through appropriate design, mitigation or alternative connection arrangements.
“We stand alongside residents and North Tawton Town Council in opposing this application on land where two previous applications have been refused. No should mean no!”
A decision on the application is pending. The public consultation will run until September 17. To view or comment on the application, visit the West Devon Planning Portal at westdevon.planning-register.co.uk.
(Image: An existing solar installation in Devon, 2026)
Devon CPRE welcomes the government's decision to review its plans for local government reorganisation and pause work on proposals affecting Devon.
The government announced yesterday that it is reviewing plans to change the structure of local government in Devon and elsewhere. The review will examine whether current proposals are workable, follow the law, and support the government's plans to give more power to local communities.
Commenting on the announcement, Devon CPRE Chair Steve Crowther said:
“Apparently, Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner has told MPs that in light of legal advice, she wants to satisfy herself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust and, of course, complies with the law, and, secondly, she wants to fully test whether the proposals meet the priorities of a new administration and a new prime minister.
“Translated that means that, faced with a blizzard of Judicial Reviews from county authorities including Devon, the lawyers have told her that the right process was not in place, was not robust and did not comply with the law; and that the new Prime Minister doesn’t want this mess hung round his neck, thank you very much.
“Impoverishing 440,000 Devonians with the most expensive Council Tax in the land, so that two cities could get more prosperous is not a good look or well thought through, as we all told them as much.”
Read The Moorlander article below 👇🏼
Devon council shake-up hits fresh hurdle as Government reviews plans
www.themoorlander.co.uk
A major shake-up of local government across Devon has been thrown into uncertainty after the Government paused the plans and confirmed a review will now take place
BBC RADIO 2: Should you worry if a Data Centre is being built near you?
Our Director at Devon CPRE, Penny Mills, was on BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show today as part of a discussion asking: “Should you worry if a Data Centre is being built near you?”
With the proposed AI Data Centre and BESS in North Devon very much at the forefront of our minds, Penny joined the conversation to share Devon CPRE’s perspective and concerns.
🎧 Listen from 1 hour 6 minutes to hear the full feature, or skip to 1 hour 20 minutes to hear Penny’s contribution.
Jeremy Vine - Tina Daheley sits in - BBC Sounds
www.bbc.co.uk
Tina Daheley discusses Reform funding, Scotland and cinema, data centres and St Paul's.
Ken James: Residents will have their say on data centre plans.
Council leader seeks to reassure communities as interest grows in proposals near Great Torrington
Ken James: Residents will have their say on data centre plans
www.northdevongazette.co.uk
Council leader seeks to reassure communities as interest grows in proposals near Great Torrington
It was fantastic to see so many people last night at the Public Meeting. It just shows the huge strength of feeling that there is not only in the local community but from further afield as well.
Well done and thank you to Devon Data Centre & BESS Action Group for organising the meeting.
Thank you to everyone who bought one of our 'I'm fighting the Devon Data Monster' T-shirts! If you would like to purchase one to support our campaign, please email Penny at director@cpredevon.org.uk. They are available in small, medium, large, and XL. £20 plus postage.
A plan for ten new homes on green fields has been rejected after concerns were raised over design, drainage, access to services and future residents’ reliance on private cars.
Torridge District Council refused planning permission for the development outside the development boundary of Black Torrington, with countryside charity Devon CPRE welcoming the decision after objecting to the scheme alongside residents.
Black Torrington ten-home plan refused after council raises design concerns
www.midweekherald.co.uk
A plan for ten new homes on green fields has been rejected after concerns were raised over design, drainage, access to services and future…
Devon CPRE objects to strategic-scale new settlement in East Devon with the misnomer ‘Clyst Village’
Devon CPRE has lodged an objection to a proposed development of up to 2,000 new homes in East Devon on a site that’s not allocated in the adopted Local Plan. Devon CPRE says the applicant is promoting the new settlement as a modest village or a proportionate extension to the proposed new town of Marlcombe; however, in planning terms it represents a strategic-scale new settlement with long-term consequences for infrastructure, landscape, transport, public services and nearby communities.
In preparing the draft new Local Plan, the Council has identified land between the A30 and A3052, east of Westpoint, as its preferred location for the proposed Marlcombe new town. Devon CPRE says that granting permission for Clyst Village before the Council has settled its spatial strategy would risk cutting across the plan-led system and prejudicing decisions about the location, scale and sequencing of major growth in East Devon. Although the applicant describes Clyst Village as separate from Marlcombe, the two proposals would draw on the same broad growth area and could compete for infrastructure investment, developer capacity, funding, employment opportunities, housing demand and transport improvements.
Read the remainder of this new piece online below:
2,000-home ‘Clyst Village’ plan faces objection over farmland and transport
www.exmouthjournal.co.uk
A proposed development of up to 2,000 homes billed as “Clyst Village” has been challenged by a countryside charity, which says the scheme…
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…Spreading the word about our Devon Data Monster campaign at the Summer Shows!
We’ve objected to the latest application for a solar farm on good farmland at North Tawton, West Devon. 90% is Best & Most Versatile land. We need our #farmland for growing food!
#westdevon #northtawton #planning #solarfarm #devon
Devon CPRE joins solar farm opposition
Devon CPRE has joined local residents and the town council in opposing a solar farm proposal on high-quality agricultural land in North Tawton.
www.tavistock-today.co.uk
Data centre could impact ongoing Unesco status
Data centre would 'feed into' decision over ongoing UNESCO status
A possible site for the centre is North Devon Biosphere - one of seven biosphere reserves in the UK.
bbc.in
Good news - local government reorganisation paused. “Impoverishing 440,000 Devonians with the most expensive Council Tax in the land, so that 2 cities could get more prosperous is not a good look or well thought through". #devon #exeter #plymouth #torbay
Devon council shake-up hits fresh hurdle as Government reviews plans
A major shake-up of local government across Devon has been thrown into uncertainty after the Government paused the ...
www.themoorlander.co.uk
Fantastic to see hundreds of people this evening at the public meeting in #torrington concerning the proposed AI data centre & BESS. The message is loud & clear - Say No to the Devon Data Monster! #datacentre #battery #torridge #northdevon #planning #devon
It’s the right decision that the application for 10 houses on green fields outside the village development boundary of Black Torrington, Torridge was refused. #planning #devon #torridge
Black Torrington ten-home plan refused after council raises design concerns
A plan for ten new homes on green fields has been rejected after concerns were raised over design, drainage, access to services and future…
www.midweekherald.co.uk
We’ve objected to the application for 2,000 homes - the so called Clyst Village, East Devon. It would have a significant impact on the landscape. “Countryside doesn’t have to be nationally designated to be valued”. #devon #eastdevon #exmouth #planning
2,000-home ‘Clyst Village’ plan faces objection over farmland and transport
A proposed development of up to 2,000 homes billed as “Clyst Village” has been challenged by a countryside charity, which says the scheme…
www.exmouthjournal.co.uk
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
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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.