Residents and care-home staff raise safety, health and amenity fears
Hundreds of people packed into Larbert High School’s sports hall for a special Falkirk Council planning committee hearing on proposals for a hyperscale AI data centre in the Larbert area, but the session was disrupted by sound problems and technical glitches that briefly halted proceedings.
The pre-determination meeting, organised to accommodate the level of public interest after more than 7,000 formal objections were submitted, was also livestreamed and watched by more than 2,000 people online. Security measures were visible at the entrance, with bags searched and security staff accompanying the applicants present throughout the hearing.
Council planning committee convener, Councillor Alf Kelly, reminded the audience that the event was a formal meeting of the committee and asked those present not to clap or shout. Representatives of the applicant company, Apatura, described the development as a “huge opportunity” for Larbert and the wider Falkirk area, but acknowledged local concern.
- More than 7,000 formal objections lodged to the application.
- Attendance: hundreds in person; over 2,000 online viewers.
- Complaints at the hearing focused on noise, heat and pollution and the proximity to vulnerable facilities.
Apatura’s development director, Fraser Blackwood, told the meeting the company was "coordinating further information and analysis" to provide clarity on those worries. The meeting’s audio system, which was also being used for the livestream, struggled in the large sports hall and council officers paused the session to address the issues.
Several members of the public who spoke when the sound improved set out a series of concerns about the proposed data centre and its proximity to local services and homes. Of particular note were objections from nearby care facilities and individual residents.
"I have profound concerns" about the application, said Graeme Hendry, director of Glenbervie Care Home, adding that Apatura had "at no point approached Glenbervie Care Home to discuss how this project will affect our residents".
Glenbervie Care Home provides highly specialised nursing care to vulnerable adults, including some who depend on tracheostomies and mechanical ventilation. Mr Hendry said the home’s management had serious worries about how the development could impact residents’ health and safety.
One resident, identified in the hearing as Janet Mayo, who has advanced multiple sclerosis, made an emotional address about the importance of the care home’s peaceful atmosphere and garden and her fear at what change might bring.
Technical issues and public order measures underlined the scale of local concern
Council officers implemented security checks and sought to maintain order as the committee heard both representations from Apatura and many members of the public. The choice of the school sports hall reflected the expectation of a large turnout; however, the venue contributed to audio difficulties that interrupted the meeting and complicated the livestream.
The hearing is a pre-determination meeting, part of the planning process that allows councillors to listen to representations before members later make a formal decision on the application. Apatura has signalled it will supply additional material and analysis in response to the issues raised.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Formal objections submitted | 7,000+ |
| In-person attendance | Hundreds |
| Online viewers | 2,000+ |
Council members must now weigh the environmental, health and amenity issues voiced by residents and local institutions against the economic and infrastructural arguments put forward by the applicants. The scale of public response and the visibility of technical and security arrangements at the meeting illustrate the sensitivity of the proposal within the Falkirk area.
Further information and analysis promised by Apatura will be considered by council officers and members as the planning process advances. For now, the hearing made clear that the proposed hyperscale AI development has generated widespread local scrutiny and deep concern in communities close to the Larbert site.
