Data centre plans could jeopardise railway reopening, campaigners warn

Mark Mansfield

Plans for a major data centre could make reopening a former railway more difficult and expensive unless the route is protected, campaigners have warned.

Traws Link Cymru has objected to the proposed redevelopment of the former Ferodo factory site at Griffiths Crossing, near Caernarfon, over concerns about the old Bangor–Caernarfon railway line running through it.

In a letter to Cyngor Gwynedd, the group says keeping the Lôn Las Menai cycle and walking route, which follows the former railway, would not by itself safeguard the land for future train services.

It is calling for a detailed assessment before the council decides the application and says permission should be refused in its current form if adequate protection cannot be demonstrated.

The objection points to the 2025 Bangor–Afon Wen railway reopening feasibility study, commissioned by the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales.

According to the letter, the study examined engineering constraints around the former Griffiths Crossing station, Caernarfon Road and the Plas Menai roundabout, with a possible railway route continuing along Lôn Las Menai for approximately 500 metres.

Traws Link Cymru said: “Consequently, the former railway corridor within and adjacent to this application is not simply a historic feature. It forms part of a route that has recently been examined by Welsh Government/Transport for Wales as a potential future strategic transport corridor.”

The data centre proposals involve demolishing the existing factory buildings, reshaping the land and creating level platforms for new buildings, alongside substations, drainage, access roads and underground services.

Campaigners argue that these works could obstruct a future railway or increase the cost of restoring it, even if the cycle path remains open.

Their concerns include changes to ground levels, narrowing of the route, retaining walls, drainage pipes and places where vehicles would cross Lôn Las Menai.

The letter says: “The outline permission should not establish a development framework which subsequently prevents or materially increases the difficulty or cost of reinstating the railway.”

Assessment

The group wants the developer to produce a Railway Corridor Safeguarding Assessment showing how the proposed buildings and infrastructure would fit alongside the route identified in the feasibility study.

This would need to establish how much space a railway would require, compare existing and proposed ground levels and examine the effects of construction work.

The group also stresses that it is not calling for the loss of the existing walking and cycling route.

It said: “The concern is the separate and important question of whether the permanent development proposed around that route would prejudice its potential future use as a railway corridor.”

The objection is signed by Traws Link Cymru chair Dylan Wilson-Lewis and local committee members Bob Saxby, Hywel Trewyn and Morgan Mace.

Redevelopment

Plans reported earlier this year described a redevelopment covering approximately 38.2 hectares, with data centre buildings up to 30 metres high to house computer systems, servers and equipment for storing and processing information.

The proposals included access from the A487, backup generators, cooling equipment, a new substation and landscaping. Planning documents said Lôn Las Menai would be retained.

The Ferodo factory opened in 1962 and employed up to 1,500 people making vehicle components, particularly brake pads and linings.

It later became associated with the Friction Dynamics dispute, during which workers picketed for almost 1,000 days between 2001 and 2003. The factory closed shortly afterwards.

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