The owner of land earmarked for a proposed data centre is facing action over failing to restore the site to its original state.
Land off Millington Road near Little Bollington, near Lymm, Cheshire, was used as a compound for vehicles working on upgrades to nearby motorways, and now forms part of a site on which a tech firm wants to build a large data centre compound.
Cheshire East Council said the enforcement action against the Tatton Estate was not linked to the data centre plan, but campaigners against the 60-acre facility hope the council action will make it more difficult for the proposals to get planning permission.
Tatton Estate said it was appealing against the enforcement notice.
Data centres are typically large warehouses that store servers that process and distribute information online.
The artificial intelligence boom has coincided with a significant increase in the number of proposals to build them but the plans near Little Bollington are facing some opposition from nearby residents.
Innova, which is behind a number of similar schemes around England, has previously indicated construction would start within three to five years if planning permission was granted by Cheshire East Council.
The Tatton Estate has granted Innova an option to develop the proposals on the land, part of which was used by civil engineering firms from 2014 onwards for works on a link road to the M6, and again during works to turn the M56 into a smart motorway.