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Canolfan Ddata Menai is an outline proposal, not an approved data centre. Gwelyfenai Ltd wants to redevelop the former Ferodo factory and adjoining land at Griffiths Crossing, between Caernarfon and Y Felinheli beside the Menai Strait. Opponents describe the proposed campus as covering the equivalent of 57 football pitches; a petition had passed 24,000 signatures by 14 October 2026, and about 300 people attended a demonstration.
What has been proposed at the former Ferodo site?
Gwelyfenai Ltd has submitted an outline planning application to Cyngor Gwynedd for Canolfan Ddata Menai, an AI and data-centre campus on the former factory site and neighbouring land. The outline application describes 300,440 square metres of development. The project’s engagement material gives the overall site area as approximately 41.4 hectares, including about eight hectares reserved for ecological enhancement.
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The proposal includes demolishing existing buildings and structures, regrading the land and constructing the campus. The factory closed permanently in 2008. The site is also associated with asbestos contamination and the almost 1,000-day Friction Dynamics industrial dispute, making demolition and ground works particularly sensitive public issues.
Why the reported areas do not match exactly
The 300,440-square-metre figure is the area described in the outline application, while 41.4 hectares (about 414,000 square metres) is the total site area presented in the developer’s engagement material. They are not interchangeable measurements: one describes the application’s proposed development and the other the wider landholding, including areas set aside for ecological work.
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Where does the “57 football pitches” comparison come from?
The football-pitch comparison is used by opponents and political supporters to communicate the project’s scale. Liz Saville Roberts MP called it “a data centre complex covering an area equivalent to 57 football pitches on the shores of the Menai Strait.” The comparison is campaign language rather than a planning designation, and the precise pitch dimensions used for the conversion are not stated in the available reports.
Public opposition has grown quickly. TechRadar reported more than 24,000 petition signatures on 14 October 2026. Earlier local coverage recorded more than 22,000 signatures, so both totals need a date attached. A demonstration drew approximately 300 people.
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What are objectors worried about?
Campaigners, elected representatives and local stakeholders have raised several distinct risks. These are concerns and claims made in the public debate, not findings that have already been determined by an independent planning inquiry.
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- Construction impacts: demolition, earthworks and a six-year build could bring heavy traffic, noise, dust and pollution.
- Asbestos and contaminated land: disturbing the former factory site could create public-health and environmental risks if hazardous materials are present or poorly managed.
- Wildlife and marine habitat: the Anglesey Sea Zoo says the site is close to protected areas and species including otters, grey seals, lamprey, migratory fish and birds.
- Water and drainage: objectors question the project’s water demand and the effects of drainage and construction runoff on the strait and nearby habitats.
- Electricity and infrastructure: a connection of the proposed size could place pressure on transmission infrastructure and require major new works.
- Land use and employment: opponents argue that the project would consume productive agricultural land and question whether the permanent jobs justify its footprint.
Saville Roberts has said that such a dramatic change requires “the highest level of scrutiny and public engagement” and questioned whether the long-term employment benefits justify a development of this scale.
How does the developer say the campus would operate?
Electricity connection
The proposal is reported to require a 450-megawatt connection. Gwelyfenai says electricity would travel by underground cables from the Pentir substation to the national transmission system, rather than using the local distribution network or requiring new overhead pylons. It also says the campus would use some renewable electricity generated in North Wales.
Cooling and water
Gwelyfenai says the cooling system would be closed-loop and would not abstract cooling water from the Menai Strait. On that description, the only planned discharge would be uncontaminated surface water collected through site drainage. That statement addresses direct cooling-water abstraction; it does not by itself settle wider questions about construction water, foul drainage, storm events or the capacity of regional water infrastructure.
Backup generators
The developer says generators would be standby equipment for power outages and controlled testing, not routine electricity supply. Their eventual emissions, testing frequency and operating controls would still be matters for detailed consents and regulation if the outline scheme proceeds.
How many jobs and how much public revenue are claimed?
Gwelyfenai cites an economic-impact assessment commissioned by the developer. It estimates an average of approximately 915 jobs per year for Welsh residents during a six-year construction programme and approximately 200 permanent operational jobs. It also estimates an annual contribution of approximately £2.1 million to the Welsh non-domestic-rates system.
| Claim | What it represents | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Approximately 915 jobs per year | Welsh-resident employment during the six-year construction period | Developer-reported economic-impact estimate |
| Approximately 200 jobs | Permanent operational employment | Developer-reported estimate |
| Approximately £2.1 million a year | Estimated Welsh non-domestic-rates contribution | Developer-reported estimate |
| About eight hectares | Land reserved for ecological enhancement | Figure in the developer’s engagement material |
These numbers are forecasts, not guaranteed appointments or receipts. The sources available do not provide an independent employment audit, confirmed tenants, an operating company or a financing close.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the planning and policy position?
Canolfan Ddata Menai remains at the outline-application and public-engagement stage in the reporting available for 2026. There is no reported final planning approval, construction start, financing close or confirmed occupier. An outline application establishes the principle and broad parameters of development; detailed design, construction methods, traffic arrangements, environmental controls and conditions would normally require further scrutiny.
The UK Government designated North Wales an AI Growth Zone on 13 November 2025, with planning and energy-support measures intended to accelerate AI infrastructure and investment. That designation creates a policy context for projects such as this one, but it does not approve the Menai Strait campus or override Gwynedd’s planning process.
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The central decision is whether the submitted evidence can demonstrate that the campus is acceptable in this location. Key information for residents and consultees includes the full environmental assessments, asbestos and contaminated-land surveys, transport and construction plans, biodiversity protections, energy-connection works, water and drainage calculations, noise controls and the conditions attached to any eventual consent.
Gwelyfenai says questions about employment, wildlife, water, pollution, noise and landscape impact are reasonable, but asks that the application be judged on evidence specific to this development rather than assumptions drawn from unrelated data centres. The planning authority’s eventual decision—not the petition total, the football-pitch comparison or the AI Growth Zone designation—will determine whether the project can proceed.
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