Huge city data centre blocked as campaigners hail 'momentous' move
Plus your cultural highlights for the week ahead
Welcome to another busy midweek edition of your Edinburgh Inquirer.
You’ll find your usual news roundup and our pick of the cultural pops below. There’s also our report from a dramatic city council meeting where plans for a huge data centre on the edge of the Capital at Edinburgh Park were blocked due to concerns, highlighted by The Inquirer, about its environmental impact. Unusually, councillors put up a united front across the political divide.
Your Edinburgh Briefing
MORE E-BIKES: The city’s e-bike hire scheme has expanded for the third time in five months, this time moving into Stockbridge, Crewe Toll, along the Hawthornvale Path and towards Newhaven. The scheme is proving dramatically more popular than the city’s previous Just Eat bike hire scheme. Since launching in September, the new Voi service has been used for more than 185,000 journeys - travelling around 450,000km or roughly the equivalent of 11 times round the earth - compared to only 100,000 journeys its the first year of the last scheme.
£1M LEZ FINES: Environmental projects such as the rollout of the city’s all-day, 7-day a week bus lanes are to benefit from nearly £800,000 thanks to the city centre Low Emission Zone (LEZ). More than £1m in fines was collected in the first 10 months of the LEZ with the rate at which they were issued dropping significantly after the first three months. The surplus income after the council covered its costs is to be reinvested in green schemes.
ALLAN MASSIE: Tributes have been paid to novelist and literary critic Allan Massie following his death at the age of 87. The Times described him as “one of Scotland’s greatest literary figures” and his journalist son Alex has written a beautiful tribute.
UNI’S £43M SURPLUS: The University of Edinburgh has defended its £140m cost-cutting programme, including widespread redundancies, after reporting a surplus of £43m in the year up to the end of July 2025. The university told The Tab student newspaper: “Our university is not in deficit, but costs are rising faster than income, and without the difficult decisions already taken, our position would be far more fragile. It remains our position that, wherever possible, we will seek to avoid compulsory redundancies.”
Pick of the (Cultural) Pops
Greetings, Pop Pickers!
Welcome back to the hit parade. Cue the fanfare, spin the platters, and let’s get down to business, writes Will Quinn.
Can you believe it? It’s February already. January, and most of our well-intended resolutions, are officially a memory. Instead of dwelling on the alarmingly swift passage of time, let’s just say time flies when you’re having fun (or just frantically refreshing ticket pages), and lean into a swinging 2026!
While the weather outside is still doing its best impression of a wet flannel slapped across the face of the city, the capital’s stages are looking positively radiant. We have a chart full of “bobby dazzlers” this week: from cinematic adrenaline shots that will make you gasp, to student productions that punch so far above their weight they’re practically ready to take on Iron Mike. So, stop watching the rain and start watching the stage.
Let’s count them down…
Holding steady at Number 5 is... The RSA 200th Anniversary Season
I’m keeping them on the chart because, quite frankly, if you haven’t gone yet, you are actively missing out. The Royal Scottish Academy is currently hosting a bicentennial bonanza that is blowing the cobwebs off the institution in spectacular fashion. With multiple exhibitions running concurrently, the quality and diversity of the work on display is staggering. This is world-class art, rooted in Edinburgh and freely available to anyone with the time to walk in the door.
Tied at Number 4 are... The Student “Bobby Dazzlers” (Kiss Me, Kate & The Seagull)
It’s a dead heat for the title of “Best Value Ticket in Town.”
First up, Edinburgh University Footlights bring Kiss Me, Kate to the Church Hill Theatre (Feb 10th–14th). I last caught this lot in their 2025 production of 9 to 5, and honestly? I doubt a professional company with ten times the budget would have done it better. With tickets starting at £15, I guarantee they’ll deliver a sparkling, high-kicking version of this Broadway classic that is worth every single penny.
Matching them for value is the irrepressible EUTC with The Seagull at Bedlam Theatre (Feb 11th–15th). The EUTC are a fecund lot who single-handedly magnify the city’s theatrical diversity. Whilst with their abundance comes a little more variability in quality, this company has an enduring passion that often delivers gold. For a tenner, I’d happily bet that this young cadre of modern theatre makers will conjure something fascinating—and likely quite biting—from Chekhov’s dark study of art, class, and cross-generational ego.
Staying strong at Number 3 is... Ian Smith at Monkey Barrel Comedy
The son of Goole remains on the list because he remains essential viewing. I’ve been a huge fan of Ian Smith since reviewing his show Crushing in 2023. A familiar wit to Radio 4 listeners and fresh from his Live at the Apollo debut, Smith brings a unique brand of stress-induced Northern humour that acts as a kind of catharsis for us all. He stresses so you don’t have to. Catching this rising star in a basement this Saturday is not an opportunity to miss—bragging rights are included in the ticket price.
Climbing to Number 2 is... The Banff Mountain Film Festival at the Festival Theatre
Prepare to ooh, ahh, wince, and gape in equal measure. The touring edition of the world’s most prestigious mountain film festival returns to the Festival Theatre this Saturday. Each year It takes a reliably packed Festival Theatre audience on breathtaking cinematic journeys alongside fearless explorers and extreme sports enthusiasts who clearly lack the “isn’t that a little dangerous?” gene the rest of us possess.
I hadn’t been near a kayak or a mountain bike in years when I first caught this festival, and I absolutely loved it. Has it inspired me to risk life and limb since? Well, I’ve been back on a bike... if that counts? Expect finely curated short cinematic bobby dazzlers—and a legendary raffle to boot.
And finally, claiming the Number 1 spot is... Manipulate Festival 2026
A jewel in Edinburgh’s festival city crown, Manipulate returns today for its 19th edition (Feb 5th – 15th). If you think such visual arts are too “niche” or “artsy” for your tastes, I encourage you to think again. This is performance art at the frontier of “showing not telling.”
Whether it’s puppetry, cinema, or physical theatre, the chances of seeing something new and wonderfully memorable are high. Some of my most memorable nights in the stalls have come courtesy of past editions of this superb festival—from Ruxy Cantir’s delightful existential cabaret in a pickle jar (Pickled Republic) to Paper Doll Militia’s circus-skill enhanced exploration of the human condition (Arthropoda). This year’s line-up looks like a cracker. Instead of me picking out a single show, I urge you to dive into the programme and see what tickles your fancy. Be brave.
And that’s your lot, pop-pickers. The countdown is complete. Whether you’re scaling cinematic mountains from the safety of a velvet seat or diving into Chekhov for the price of a sandwich, there’s no excuse for a dull week. Catch you on the flip side.
Stay bright.
Greenhouse gas fears see huge city data centre blocked
Councillors call halt after outcry over local authority’s failure to demand an environmental impact assessment
by DAVID FORSYTH
City councillors have refused planning permission in principle for a massive “green data centre” in South Gyle – with councillors across all parties expressing concern about its huge energy requirement and environmental impact.
In taking the unanimous decision, councillors decided against the recommendation of planning officers who had advised the local authority’s development sub-committee yesterday that the application should be granted.
However, in recent months many environmental campaigners had raised concerns and in particular were angry the council decided not to require an Environmental Impact Assessment report as part of the application process, as reported in the Inquirer in November.
In that report, we explained the main worries about the data centres are their use of vast quantities of water for cooling and high CO2 emissions. Developers Shelborn estimate the Edinburgh Park centre could generate more than 200,000 tonnes of C02 a year, which is reportedly similar to that of Edinburgh Airport.
Campaigners have hailed the decision, with Dr Kat Jones of Action to Protect Rural Scotland - which is actively campaigning on the environmental threat they say is posed by data centres - describing it as “absolutely momentous”. She called for a Scottish Government moratorium on similar proposals until work can be carried out on “a proper review” of the potential impact of data centres.
