This image does not represent the final design, but indicates the design ethos, which will prioritise landscape, community and the environment, to produce a sustainable development that sits harmoniously within its surroundings.

Southside

Data Centre

Sunlaws Development Company Limited is exploring the development of a new data centre proposed to be situated on land owned by the Roxburghe Estate, near Duns. Located within the Lammermuir Hills, the site offers a unique opportunity for a sensitively and sustainably designed data centre that capitalises on the area’s exceptional environmental, energy, and communications assets, making it one of the most attractive locations for data centre development in the country.

  • Renewable Energy Supply – Wind farms in the area are among the most productive and consistent in Scotland. The proposed data centre is situated within the vicinity of over 230MW of operational and consented wind energy generation, which could be utilised locally rather than exported through the transmission system.

  • Energy Security– The location of the proposed site affords a renewable and nationally independent supply of energy, further secured through robust local infrastructure. It is located near to the 400kV Fallago Rig substation, which offers the highest tier of reliability of connection to the transmission system. Further, the recently consented Shielburn Battery Energy Storage System located adjacent to the substation could provide balancing and security of supply. The site is also close to the gas transmission system, enabling an option for backup and balance generation to be supplied directly by gas, rather than through the storage of large volumes of fuel on site.

  • High Speed Data Connection – The site is located in close proximity to two of the main data communication routes in Scotland, providing high speed transmission with the addition of a secondary route as backup, securing digital operations.

  • Low Carbon Cooling – The site is located within an area of lower average air temperatures compared to the locations of many existing data centres across the UK, improving the cooling efficiency and lowering lifetime carbon emissions. A closed loop cooling system will constrain water use, mitigating adverse pressures on local water supply.

  • Natural Visual Containment and Opportunities for Improved Biodiversity – The topography of the site and character of the surrounding landscape provide opportunities to develop a considerate and sustainable data centre, the architecture and landscaping of which will aim to minimise any potential visual impact and protect the rural character of the area. Roxburghe Estate, as landowner of the site, seeks to protect the land for generations to come, and is committed to the inclusion of other areas specifically designated for ecological conservation and improved biodiversity.

  • Regional Economic Benefit – The data centre will provide high-quality, sustainable employment, providing jobs during construction and more than 100 permanent technical and skilled jobs once operational. The positive economic impacts of this development will be realised locally through employment, contribution to council funds (through business rates and other levies) and improvements in infrastructure, in addition to other community wealth building initiatives.

To explore the potential of this opportunity further, in December 2025, Sunlaws Development Company Limited submitted a Request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion to the Scottish Borders Council (application no. 25/01835/SCR). An EIA Screening Opinion informs the environmental assessment requirements of a project, should an application for Planning Permission be submitted. The result of the EIA Screening Request was announced in February 2026. Scottish Borders Council has advised that the Proposed Development should be considered under the EIA Regulations, and the project will therefore proceed with the work required to satisfy the EIA Regulations as part of the preparation for a Planning Application.

Location

The proposed development site (NT 66448 55122) is located on the Roxburghe Estate, 9.4km to the south east of the Fallago Rig wind farm, a 48-turbine wind farm on Lammermuir Hills in Berwickshire.

The closest town, Duns, is approximately 11km away from the proposed development. Other villages are closer to the development site, including Westruther and Longformacus which are approximately 5km and 2km away from the proposed development, respectively.

A range of options are currently being considered in terms of access to public roads and we will update as this aspect of the design develops further.

Our Proposal

The proposal is for a data centre which comprises three buildings, each two-storeys high, and associated infrastructure to be contained in well screened site.  Key elements include:

  • Three, two storey data centre buildings with ground footprint of circa 27,000 meters squared each. Each building may have a height of up to 24m.

  • Backup generation (pending design, these may be contained within the data centre buildings).

  • Electrical substation.

  • Car parking for each building.

  • Screening - this comprised of sinking the site into the side of the hill and using the spoil from this to build up a screening mount around the rest of the site, accentuating the rolling nature of the landscape in the surrounding area.

  • Rain water recovery basin.

  • Environmental enhancement area.

preliminary Development Timeline

At this early stage of the project the preliminary timeline is shown below, this timeline will be updated up as the project progresses.

Public Engagement

Although we are at an early stage in terms of the design and environmental studies, we would like to engage with the community to understand concerns so that they can be addressed prior to the submission of a planning application. The first of the Public Exhibitions will be held within the local community at Longformacus Village Hall on Thursday 4th of June 2026, with subsequent events to be announced as the design and environmental studies progress. These events provide an opportunity for any person interested in learning more about the project, and/or wishing to ask questions or make comment, to engage directly with members of the project team. Further information and materials exhibited at the event can be found here Public Exhibition Information.