DataVita files plans for third data center at Scottish campus amid community consultation

Scottish data center operator DataVita has submitted planning applications for a new building at its Chapelhall campus in North Lanarkshire, marking the next phase of expansion at a site the company has operated for nearly a decade. The proposed facility, designated DV4, follows four public consultation events held before the application was submitted, during which the company said it revised its designs in response to resident feedback.

DataVita already operates DV1 at the Chapelhall site and is currently constructing DV3 there, while its DV2 facility is located separately in Glasgow. The company said the new building would feature a closed-loop cooling system to minimize water usage, run entirely on renewable energy, and target a power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.25. The plans also incorporate surplus heat recovery, with discussions underway to supply heat to the Monklands Replacement Hospital and the neighboring BioCity campus.

Following the consultation process, the maximum building height was reduced from 30 meters to 26 meters, operational plant equipment was relocated to the south of the building away from homes, and approximately 1,000 meters of new native hedgerow will be planted—double the length of foliage that would be removed for the development. A feasibility study is also exploring the creation of a community garden and greenhouse warmed by surplus heat from the facility, an idea raised by residents during the consultations, which would be funded through a community investment fund.

Danny Quinn, managing director of DataVita, said the company has seen significant speculation about data center development in Scotland but stressed that most proposed projects will never materialize. "DataVita has been operating in Scotland for more than ten years, and we already underpin a lot of the critical services used day in, day out across Scotland," Quinn said. "We built DV1 at Chapelhall, we are building DV3, and we run them ourselves with a Scottish team. DV4 is the next stage of that campus."

Quinn also emphasized the company's commitment to changing public perception of the industry. "Not all data centers are the same, and we are keen to change the public perception. Scotland has an opportunity not only to become a data center location but an exporter of intelligence via low-carbon data centers," he said. "We don't think of exporting barley when we talk about the success of our whisky industry, and data centers should be no different. The application is now with the council and open for comment, and I would encourage people to look at the details."

The Chapelhall campus falls within the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, a UK government-designated area offering incentives for data center developers. The site has been operational since 2016, when DataVita first occupied DV1, originally built by HFD Group, and took full ownership in a 2021 deal backed by £45 million ($63.1 million) in support from its parent company. In January 2025, the company filed to expand the existing Fortis building, and in November of the same year applied for permission to build DV3. DataVita's separate Glasgow facility, DV2, located in the basement of 177 Bothwell Street, offers 130 racks across 1,000 square meters.

Last year, neocloud provider CoreWeave announced it was deploying an unspecified number of Nvidia GPUs in DataVita data centers, underscoring the growing demand for AI-ready infrastructure in Scotland. The company's emphasis on green credentials comes amid ongoing political opposition to data center development in the country. Both the ruling Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party have called for a temporary moratorium on new projects, citing concerns over power and water consumption—a stance that puts them at odds with the UK government in Westminster, which has positioned data centers as a key driver of economic growth.