The initial pledge was that a Scottish community would gain from huge investment and gain tools to pursue high-tech employment opportunities. Instead residents in Lanarkshire now worry they could face pressure to sell homes and surrender green belt land due to flawed planning around a large AI data centre scheme while promised jobs and funding fail to appear.

Late last year staff from Oakes Energy Services started visiting homes in Newarthill a village east of Glasgow. In letters seen by residents they invited people to private meetings. Locals recall being told about a solar farm project and receiving offers of free panels tree planting or cash payments for properties.

It felt like an incentive to avoid objections said Diane Davidson a local resident. None of these offers are binding as nothing is documented.

Two months later the government selected Lanarkshire for a major AI initiative announcing a multibillion-pound AI growth zone. The scheme involves US firm CoreWeave along with DataVita part of a Glasgow property company.

The development will consist of AI data centres large structures housing specialised chips that perform the computations needed for AI systems. Tech firms worldwide are investing heavily in such facilities expecting AI to reshape economies and generate returns.

Success depends on rapid construction of major infrastructure in places like Newarthill.

The announcement described an extensive site including data centres supporting facilities and a renewables park.

Accompanying pledges included 3400 high-value jobs plus a community fund worth up to 543 million pounds for local initiatives.

Initially residents showed little alarm. The data centre itself is simply a large structure said Davidson. Concerns grew once they understood the enormous energy demands and resulting land needs.

The scale would clearly extend into our area Davidson noted. It kept expanding the more details emerged.

Worries focused on Oakes Energy Services and Locogen which submitted plans for a nearby solar farm on behalf of an international energy firm.

Review of public documents for the Lanarkshire AI growth zone reveals inconsistencies in stated plans. Officials and DataVita initially described on-site renewable power sources but later confirmed reliance on the national grid.

Details remain unclear on the volume of renewable capacity still intended. DataVita claims 1GW from directly connected energy parks requiring roughly 44 square kilometres by modest estimates. Current holdings cover less than one tenth of that area.

No formal link exists between Oakes and DataVita yet both firms pursuit of energy parks raises fears among locals that additional land will come from their properties.

Across Britain the anticipated AI expansion has sparked land speculation with many firms seeking data centre approvals and investors eyeing ways to repurpose sites.

Oakes Energy Services offered no response to enquiries. Locogen stated it has no ties to DataVita and played no role in early resident consultations. DataVita confirmed no commercial links to either firm.

Yet documents DataVita provided to officials indicate plans to utilise nearby land for renewable parks feeding the data centres. A Scottish government audit obtained via freedom of information rules notes the proposal uses adjacent land for energy parks serving hyperscalers and AI parks.

Residents have sought clear answers from DataVita and energy firms without success. At an April meeting energy company representatives declined to identify their client when asked directly according to local MSP Meghan Gallacher.

Gallacher questioned the openness of engagement with residents noting doubts over information provided and questions left unanswered.

DataVita stated all plans follow public planning rules and welcomed ongoing input.

The growth zone has revived earlier concerns in nearby Airdrie. For a decade locals opposed development on land tied to the family of former minister William Whitelaw.

In 2017 business figures including ex-footballer Graeme Souness proposed luxury housing called EuroPark on the site. Last June authorities rejected the plans and an appeal also failed.

Now it seems that outcome was only temporary said Davidson.

Local historian Ann Glen remarked that instead of EuroPark there is now a data centre.

Davidson added that residents feel agitated and concerned with no clear benefits and risks to property values.

Potential gains for Airdrie residents appear less substantial than announced. No funds currently exist in the 543 million pound community pool which depends on future DataVita revenues.

The Scottish charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland queried the 3400 jobs figure via freedom of information and found it derived from estimates for a Northumberland site scaled up for Lanarkshire size.

Those estimates proved overstated with little evidence of hundreds of permanent roles. Most positions would be short-term construction work.

The charity concluded government job numbers could exceed realistic totals by a factor of one hundred.

Officials maintain the estimate covers construction supply chain and regional economic roles.

Those meant to benefit may bear the greatest burdens. North Lanarkshire includes deprived areas once reliant on coal and steel with some of western Europes poorest health indicators noted Glen.

Dozens have voiced worries online and via council channels about energy projects data centre progress and conflicting details on land futures.

Glen described the overall approach as patronising to hardworking locals. It amounts to smoke and mirrors she said. People expect jobs and a new era yet face misleading claims with few actual positions and a sense of being misled.

The announcement suggests limited ambition offering any job as sufficient.