Councillors to decide on state-ofthe-art data centre plans

Plans to establish a new data centre in Glenrothes are expected to be rubber-stamped today.

Members of Fife Council’s central area planning committee have been advised by local authority planning officers to grant approval for the proposals, earmarked for the Queensway Industrial Estate.

Developers say the scheme will create hundreds of jobs and place the town at the heart of the growing global digital economy.

If the green light is given, the complex would be Scotland’s largest and most energy efficient data centre – a building where large networks of computer servers are placed by companies to process and store digital information.

It would form the heart of a wider business park that will feature high-speed connections stretching more than 7,500km across the UK with global connection points.

The planning application for the facility was lodged with Fife Council last month.

Local authority lead officer Ross MacKenzie said: “This is an important piece of business infrastructure that Fife can offer companies looking for improved business performance through cloud computing and to companies using Big Data to identify new business trends and opportunities, particularly in financial services and the energy industries.”

It is anticipated more than 300 construction jobs could be created if planning permission is granted at this afternoon’s meeting at Fife House, with bosses claiming that a further 50 permanent posts could follow once the completed complex opens for business.