Company defends 'very disturbing' expansion plans
Rob Silvester, chief revenue officer at Ark Data Centres, spoke about the company's plans to build a data centre on land next to the former MOD Corsham.
Last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that residents opposed plans, saying it would disrupt their sleep and cause them mental strain.
"Nobody likes change, but we are at the forefront of a new age where change is necessary," said Mr Silvester. "What we've tried to do is be as sensitive as we possibly can given that it's an industrial development."
More news stories for Wiltshire
Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire
The company – where every employee has government security clearance – provides data services to telecoms firms, banks, and video streaming services.
A group of residents from the nearby Wadswick Green retirement village have described the plans as "very disturbing" and causing "quite a lot of distress".
Mr Silvester said exponential public demand for cloud services and AI had led to the growth of the data centre industry.
One concern by local residents was the lights coming from the site, with some claiming it is like "looking on an airport terminal".
James Smith, who also works at Ark, said: "We mended our lighting strategy at the beginning of this year, so all lights at night time are switched off unless they're needed for emergency or maintenance purposes. There is no light on the site at night."
The firm added that advances in cooling fan technology meant there had been no increase in background noise from the site since 2016.
The company said it hopes Wiltshire Council will start to deliberate the planning application in August.
Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Retirement village anger over 'huge' data centre
Data centre approval could create almost 400 jobs
Plans unveiled for huge data centre
Wiltshire Council
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Palantir Just Expanded Its SOMPO Partnership. What Does That Mean for PLTR Stock?
Palantir (PLTR) shares closed higher again on Tuesday after the data mining company announced a 'multi-year expansion' of its partnership with the Tokyo-based SOMPO Holdings. It's the second time that PLTR has decided in favor of extending its agreement with the Japanese insurance holding firm following an initial $50 million expansion in 2023. More News from Barchart This High-Yield (7%) Dividend Stock Is Down Significantly in 2025. Should You Buy the Dip? Dear CoreWeave Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for August 14 Tesla Is Axing Its Dojo Supercomputer Plans. What Does That Mean for TSLA Stock Here? Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! Palantir stock has been on an absolute tear since the start of 2025. At the time of writing, it's trading nearly 190% above its year-to-date low of roughly $65 in mid-January. What a SOMPO Expansion Really Means for Palantir Stock Palantir's multi-year expansion with SOMPO Holdings signals deepening commercial traction in Asia. For investors, it's a significant development since enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and data platforms is accelerating in the world's largest continent. Additionally, renewing and growing an existing partnership, especially after a previous $50 million expansion, demonstrates customer satisfaction and long-term value. More importantly, the announcement reflects Palantir's ability to monetize its Foundry platform beyond government contracts, which investors view as a key to long-term sustainable growth. It boosts recurring revenue visibility and validates the company's global strategy, helping support bullish sentiment around PLTR shares. Why PLTR Shares Look Unattractive at Current Levels While Palantir shares have delivered outsized returns this year, Stephen Bersey, an HSBC analyst, believes there's hardly any further upside left in this AI stock for 2025. Bersey maintained his 'Hold' rating on the data analytics firm last week and raised his price target to $181, roughly in line with the price at which PLTR stock is trading at the time of writing. His cautious stance on Palantir Technologies is based primarily on valuation concerns. Moreover, there have been 19 sales and 'zero' insider buys over the past three months as tracked by Barchart, which may be another red flag for those considering building a position in Palantir stock at current levels. Palantir Is a 'Hold'-Rated Stock Among Wall Street Analysts Note that HSBC isn't the only Wall Street firm keeping cautious on Palantir stock at north of $180. In fact, the consensus rating on PLTR shares currently sits at 'Hold' only with the mean target of about $156 indicating potential downside of well over 15% from here. On the date of publication, Wajeeh Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vontier (VNT) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
What Happened? Shares of electronic equipment provider Vontier (NYSE:VNT) jumped 3.3% in the afternoon session after its subsidiary Teletrac Navman announced it is deploying next-generation AI-enabled Smart Dashcams to boost safety for the Canal & River Trust's fleet. The deployment of these AI-enabled Smart Dashcams is for the Canal & River Trust, a charity responsible for managing waterways in England and Wales. This initiative is designed to enhance safety and driver wellbeing through investments in new technology. The news builds on recent positive momentum for the company, which reported strong second-quarter results in late July, beating analyst estimates and raising its full-year earnings guidance. This solid performance prompted several analysts to upgrade the stock or raise their price targets in early August, contributing to a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from Wall Street, signaling growing confidence in Vontier's business trajectory. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $41.82, up 3.6% from previous close. Is now the time to buy Vontier? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Vontier's shares are not very volatile and have only had 5 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. Vontier is up 16% since the beginning of the year, and at $41.82 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Vontier's shares at the IPO in September 2020 would now be looking at an investment worth $1,230. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Globalstar (GSAT) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
What Happened? Shares of satellite communications provider Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSAT) jumped 3.5% in the morning session after the company announced it has started construction to expand its ground station in Singapore. The satellite communications company announced that construction has started on an expansion of its ground station in Singapore. This project will add two new 6-meter tracking antennas to support its third-generation C-3 mobile satellite system (MSS). The development builds upon a 17-year partnership with Singtel, which hosts the facilities, and is expected to enable expanded service offerings across Southeast Asia. This operational news follows a strong second-quarter financial report from August 8, where Globalstar beat revenue expectations and reported a significant increase in net income, returning to profitability. The combination of strong recent performance and strategic expansion appears to be boosting investor confidence. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $28.48, up 0.7% from previous close. Is now the time to buy Globalstar? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Globalstar's shares are extremely volatile and have had 41 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 7 days ago when the stock gained 3.1% on the news that the company and Parsons Corporation announced a successful proof of concept for a joint commercial satellite solution. This collaboration integrated Globalstar's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite capabilities with advanced software from Parsons, a leader in national security solutions. The company stated this successful test marked a significant step toward the commercial availability of their joint product. This development paved the way for new commercial satellite solutions, signaling progress in the company's technological and business partnerships. Globalstar is down 10.4% since the beginning of the year, and at $28.48 per share, it is trading 17.1% below its 52-week high of $34.35 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Globalstar's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $5,048. Today's young investors likely haven't read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next. Sign in to access your portfolio
