Hello. The proposed AI data centre near the Menai Strait has brought questions about development, infrastructure and environmental impact into the news. It also highlights a practical issue for businesses: how do you protect a site where a fire, security breach or power failure could interrupt critical operations?
As reported on 13 October 2026, the Welsh Government had received a request to call in the planning application for the proposed facility at the former Ferodo site near Caernarfon. At that point, no call-in direction had been issued and Cyngor Gwynedd remained responsible for determining the application. The proposal is debated, not a confirmed development. You can read the North Wales Live report for the planning update.
This article does not take a position on the proposal. It looks at what data centres and other high-value, power-intensive sites need from their fire and security planning.
Why these sites need a different plan
A standard office or warehouse may have clear priorities: protect people, secure doors and stock, detect fire, and maintain essential electrical systems. A data centre shares those priorities, but adds another layer. Servers, network equipment, cooling plant, backup power and support systems must work together. A local incident can affect essential services and business continuity.
Planning should begin with the site’s risks and operating requirements. Identify critical areas, who needs access, what must keep running during an outage, and how staff should respond to different alarms. Then coordinate fire safety, security, electrical infrastructure and facilities management. A system designed in isolation can create gaps or unintended consequences.
Fire detection and suppression: design for the space
Server rooms, electrical rooms and plant areas have different conditions from offices. Air movement, room height, raised floors, cable routes and equipment layout can affect where smoke travels and how detectors should be positioned.
Early-warning detection may be appropriate in critical spaces. For example, aspirating smoke detection can sample air through a network of pipes, supporting early investigation before smoke becomes visible. The exact detection type, coverage and alarm sequence must be selected by competent designers as part of a site-specific fire strategy.
Do not assume one suppression method is right for every room. The design should consider the hazards, people who may be present, equipment, compartmentation, response arrangements and relevant requirements. It must also manage the risk of unnecessary activation, which could interrupt operations or affect sensitive equipment. Detection and suppression need coordinated controls, with clear alarm stages, documented cause-and-effect and appropriate human response.
Fire alarms should be integrated with the building’s wider procedures. Decide which events need local notification, which require action by a staffed control point, and how signals should be escalated. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s data centre operations overview offers an example of how fire systems, remote environmental monitoring, UPS and generators can sit within one operational picture. It is an example, not a substitute for UK requirements or a project-specific design.
Power resilience is also a security issue
A power failure is not only an electrical event. It can affect cooling, fire detection, alarm transmission, lighting, CCTV, access control and communications. If one or more systems stop working, the building may become harder to protect precisely when staff need reliable information.
Assess which services need standby power and for how long. Consider the arrangement of UPS and generator systems, transfer equipment, protected circuits, fuel or battery arrangements, and how faults will be identified. Test the complete sequence, not just each unit separately. Confirm what happens when the mains supply fails, when a standby system does not start, and when power is restored.
Include security and life-safety systems in this planning. Define how doors behave during a loss of power while preserving safe escape. Check that critical alarms can still reach the people responsible for responding. A robust plan should account for communication failure as well as equipment failure.
Control access by area and role
A site should not treat every room as equally sensitive. Separate public, staff, service and critical areas. Restrict plant rooms, electrical spaces, data halls, cabinets and other sensitive locations to authorised people. Review permissions when roles change and remove access promptly when it is no longer needed.
Paxton Access control systems can support controlled entry and access records at selected doors. The system design should consider staff and contractor credentials, visitor procedures, lost cards, emergency access and how doors respond to fire alarms or a power interruption. Door release arrangements must align with life-safety requirements.
CCTV installation can help cover entrances, vehicle gates, perimeter approaches and service areas. Plan camera positions around real risks and operational needs. Check that important views are not blocked by vehicles, temporary equipment, lighting or site changes. Decide who may view recordings and how incidents will be reviewed.
Monitor the environment and the signals
Security planning should include more than doors and cameras. Temperature, cooling performance, water ingress, smoke status, power quality and equipment faults can all signal a developing problem. Set thresholds that prompt clear actions, and decide who receives each alert.
Remote monitoring can give facilities teams or a contracted Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) visibility of agreed alarms and faults. Map each signal to a response: acknowledge, investigate, escalate or attend site. Confirm how signals travel, what happens during a network outage, and whether there is a backup communication path. Test the whole route regularly. Monitoring only helps when an alert reaches someone who knows what to do.
Maintain and review the complete system
Use planned preventative maintenance (PPM) to keep fire, electrical and security systems in working order. Record tests, faults, repairs and changes. Check batteries and standby arrangements, review detector condition and coverage, verify CCTV views, and test access permissions and alarm transmission.
Review the plan when the building layout, plant, occupancy, operating hours or risk profile changes. A new cabinet, partition or cooling arrangement can affect detection and coverage. A changed access policy can leave former users with permissions they no longer need.
For complex facilities, appoint suitable fire, electrical and security specialists early. Agree interfaces between systems and make responsibilities clear. Commissioning should verify the installed design, alarm sequences, monitoring routes, standby arrangements and handover information. Do not treat a planning proposal or a product choice as proof that a finished facility meets every technical requirement.
Commercial security support in North Wales
Dragon Security & Electrical Ltd works with commercial clients on security and electrical compliance, including access control, CCTV installation, fire systems, inspection and testing, and ongoing maintenance. Our NICEIC and SSAIB credentials relate to our company services; every high-value site still requires expert, project-specific design.
Arrange a free survey to discuss your premises and requirements. Call 01492 330330 or visit Contact Us. You can also read about Dragon’s accreditations.
Dragon – Secure Living Starts Here