Torridge District

A council in North Devon supported a massive AI data center project long before the public was informed, raising questions about transparency and environmental impact.

Documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests reveal that the developer, X-Lynx, had been in private discussions with Torridge District Council since March 2025.

The council even sent a letter of support in April 2025, prior to any environmental assessments or public consultations.

This revelation has sparked controversy, as the proposed data center is set to be one of the largest in Europe, located in a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Can you tell our listeners what we're looking at?

Well here is the ancient bridge, this in fact is the first bridge across the River Torridge and was originally wood and over the generations it was rebuilt and is now a stone structure and then to the left of here we have the Torridge Bridge, which is the new bridge, completed in 1984, I believe, thereabouts.

And that's the main road into and out of Biddeford.

And then if we look further down the river, you see Appledore Shipyard, which is now managed by, or owned in fact, by Novantia.

So what does the work involve? Because, I mean, on the one hand, it's a magnificent landscape.

On the other hand, it has been significantly changed since the 70s.

I'm thinking particularly about the Tor and the Torridge, only because I know about that because I'm a fisherman.

And the water quality has dramatically changed.

Geoffrey Cox, yeah

... for Torridge and Tavistock.

Ugh, wow.

That is, I mean, it's quite obvious.

[laughs]

Next up.

MP for Torridge is just-

Some of these fucking names.