Julius Avenue Data Centre

I am a local ecologist and have reviewed the attached Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) and do not believe that it adequately assessed impacts to threatened species or appropriately demonstrated the avoid and minimise principle. Multiple species of microbat, some of which are at risk of a Series and Irreversible Impact (SAII) were 'assumed present' in the BDAR, and no targeted surveys were conducted. Considering the presence of suitable breeding habitat for some of the listed candidate microbat species (rocky overhangs, caves etc.), targeted surveys should have been conducted to understand if these species are present in the locality, and if this suitable habitat could potentially be utilised in the future. It is documented in the BDAR that the habitat was inspected for microbats, and no presence of the species was documented. However, without the confirmation of species absence through targeted surveys, how can it be determined that this habitat could not be used by this species in the future, and therefore (if the habitat is removed) could constitute an SAII impact on potential breeding habitat for these species. Targeted surveys should be conducted in the RtS phase of the approval process to appropriately determine if the microbat species that rely on caves as potential breeding habitat are not present in the areas, and therefore a SAII impact would not occur.

Additionally, the avoid and minimise section of the report documents that the project '... has been designed to maximise use of already disturbed land. The vegetation and habitats within the subject land are degraded'. However, by comparing Figure 6 and Figure 8, you can see that majority of the 'direct impact area' is located in the vegetation zone 'VZ2 3592_ModGood'. This is the best quality vegetation in the subject land, based on the Vegetation Integrity (VI) scores, and yet this is where the majority of the impact will occur. The Department should consider this highly, and question why the development is being located in the 'moderate-good', remnant native vegetation and not the lower quality regrowth/disturbed vegetation. Additionally, no VI scores have been provided for the '3967_regrowth' vegetation zone however these areas have been categorized as 'degraded'. A better explanation, backed up with data, should be amended during the RtS phase to appropriately explain how the vegetation in this area is degraded (especially considering some candidate flora species presence has been ruled out based on 'degraded habitat').
Figure 3 lists PCT 4006, which isn't discussed anywhere else.

The proposed Data Centre is unacceptable.

The development would destroy 500 trees, including 300 mature and hollow-bearing specimens, many of which provide essential habitat for native wildlife. This large-scale clearing intrudes directly into a known green buffer zone adjacent to Lane Cove National Park, an area that plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, reducing urban heat, and acting as a natural carbon sink.

The planned offset of planting saplings elsewhere is wholly inadequate. This approach fails to replicate the lost ecological functions of mature trees, particularly those that support threatened or habitat-dependent species. Tree hollow formation can take over a century, and this time lag is ecologically significant.

This proposal also raises serious bushfire concerns. The removal of vegetation buffers may increase fire vulnerability—this is especially critical in a warming climate and for a facility of this scale that is proposing to store diesel fuel on-site. The project’s enormous energy demands—up to 170 MW—will also significantly increase emissions and strain local infrastructure.

This development represents an unsustainable and high-impact use of land and sets an extremely dangerous and damaging precedent for developers.

Data centres consume energy and are not feasible to protect natural vegetation. Building this centre will disrupt the local bush that is vital for the environment. Loss of bushland will increase built up area and lead to irreversible damage to the fragile ecosystem currently in that area. Data centre can always be built in other areas that is not a fragile bush area.

Please see attached submission

I am writing to lodge my objection to the proposed development involving the construction and 24/7 operation of a data centre with a power consumption of up to 170 megawatts, including a six-storey building, office space, diesel storage, back-up generators, car parking, a subtransmission switching station, and a new road.

This proposal is deeply inappropriate for the nominated site, and I ask that it be refused on the following grounds:

1. Environmental Impacts & Loss of Natural Buffer
• The subject land currently serves as an essential buffer between Lane Cove National Park and urban development.
• Replacing this buffer with an intensive industrial use will result in habitat fragmentation, disruption of wildlife corridors, and increased edge effects (light, noise, air pollution) that undermine the ecological integrity of the national park.
• Construction, diesel storage, and continuous generator testing risk soil, water, and air pollution, directly threatening nearby bushland and waterways.

2. Climate & Energy Concerns
• A facility consuming up to 170 megawatts will place a huge burden on Sydney’s already stressed energy grid. This level of consumption is equivalent to powering tens of thousands of homes.
• The reliance on diesel back-up generators contradicts local, state, and national commitments to emissions reduction and a transition to renewable energy.
• Approval of this project would undermine climate action targets and set a concerning precedent for unsustainable energy use in sensitive areas.

3. Amenity & Community Impacts
• A 24/7 operation will generate constant traffic, noise, and light pollution, eroding the residential amenity of surrounding communities and diminishing the visitor experience of Lane Cove National Park.
• The proposed new road and significant car parking will draw additional traffic into a natural precinct that should be protected, not urbanised.

4. Planning Inconsistency & Precedent
• The proposal is fundamentally incompatible with the surrounding land uses, particularly its proximity to a protected national park.
• Allowing this large-scale industrial development in a green buffer zone will create a precedent for further encroachment, steadily eroding the protections around the national park and undermining long-term planning objectives.

5. Alternatives
• Data centres, by their nature, are best suited to industrial zones with existing infrastructure, not areas adjacent to national parks.
• If there is a genuine need for additional data storage capacity, it should be met in a location that does not compromise ecological and community values.

Conclusion
For the above reasons, I strongly oppose this proposal and urge the consent authority to refuse the application. The preservation of Lane Cove National Park’s buffer zones is essential to safeguarding Sydney’s natural heritage, biodiversity, and community wellbeing.

Given its proximity to the lane cove national park (and I am not sure if it actually impinges on the national park), it is imperative the national park is not affected in any way. This includes all matters such as water run off, sediment erosion, loss of separation zone to ensure weed advance does not occur etc.

The Lane Cove river and adjacent adjacent national park has been affected by human development and change in the past and continues to be impacted even today.

There should be no compromise on this matter.
Thank you

I am writing about the proposed development of the Julius Ave Data Centre in the previous CSIRO land area in North Ryde. The proposed data centre borders Lane Cove National Park and subsumes a portion of the Great North Walk.

I am concerned about the removal of 509 trees which will severely impact the wildlife habitat corridor. This area also serves to protect the National Park’s boundary from weed infestation and as a barrier against the urban environment for native species living in the park.

Reduction of the wildlife corridor will also result in habitat loss for three fauna and four flora species already at risk. These include three bat species (the Large-eared Pied Bat, Chalinolobus dwyeri, Little Bent-winged Bat, Miniopterus australis and Large Bent-winged Bat, Miniopterus orianae oceanensis). Additionally, four threatened plant species will also be affected (Darwinia biflora, Deyeuxia appressa, Hibbertia spanantha and Rhizanthella slateri).

The proposed development’s plans (EIS appendix 12) show a reduction of the habitat corridor to a point where it basically ceases to exist and thus will no longer function as such. The proposed 'bushland restoration area' will not be able to replicate the area of forest it replaces. The proposed roads and hard surface areas will contribute to polluted stormwater runoff from the data centre's surrounds, this water will flow into the National Park and the Lane Cove River. How is this proposed to be managed? The proposed development is effectively on a slope, meaning all pollution generated from human activities will flow to the Park.

The removal of 509 trees to only be replaced by a meagre 143 is not acceptable. Mature trees are not simply some ‘greenery’ that provide pretty scenery. Mature trees are like high-rise apartments for a multitude of species that depend on them. Additionally, they provide services to humans such as removing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere, providing shade and cooling the surrounding area, i.e. reducing the urban heat island effect. You cannot recreate a forest by simply planting a few trees. Old forests store enormous volumes of carbon and should be protected.

Additionally, I notice the proposed use of 73 diesel generators for back up purposes. The estimated hours of their use just for testing purposes alone is 1,971 hours (equivalent to 82 days 24/7). What impact will this have wildlife and local residents? For both air quality and noise? Do either of these exceed the NSW EPA criteria? (as I factually know, one data centre in western Sydney exceeds air quality criteria).

While I am not opposed to reuse of the former CSIRO grounds or of a data centre per say, removal of import habitat adjacent a National Park is unacceptable. This is an example of death by a thousand cuts to species already under pressure from encroaching urbanisation and development. I object to the proposal's design and its highly likely negative impact to the adjacent National Park, and the flora and fauna that lives within and around it.

What’s happened about clever designs and the Government’s commitment to protecting the environment? I’m appalled but not surprised.

I object to the proposal for a number of reasons. I live locally and often walk through the Lane Cove National Park (Fairylands) which is close to the proposed development. I see a lot of wildlife each time I walk through here – swamp wallabies, Eastern Osprey, echidnas, red-bellied black snakes, water dragons and many other birds, and at night I hear the powerful owls. This development would create a scar in the landscape that would be impossible to fix. Other impacts that this development would cause include the following:

Ecological impacts
The development requires the significant clearing and removal of 509 trees – this is excessive and includes many mature trees, and impacts a large area – 1.2ha – of bushland, in an endangered ecological community (Sydney Coastal enriched sandstone forest). This area is sensitive as it is directly adjacent to the Lane Cove National Park. Many of these trees would be over 100 years old and contain hollows which are critical for many native fauna including birds, bats, possums and gliders, and threatened species such as the Powerful Owl which frequent the area. Clearing this area will also affect ground-dwelling fauna such as reptiles, echidnas and mammals such as Long-nose bandicoots, which have largely disappeared from other parts of Sydney but are known to occur in Lane Cove National Park (see attachment). There are also a number of threatened plant species which could be put at risk as a result of clearing from the development.
It is impossible to replace hollows, which have naturally formed over many decades, with artificial nest boxes and revegetation/biobanking. Clearing 1.2ha of bushland for this development will result in serious impacts on the local biodiversity that cannot be reversed by simply “replanting”.
Trees are a Carbon Dioxide sink and one of the most effective ways of capturing and storing CO2. This level of clearing appears to be in direct contradiction to the NSW Government’s planning and climate change policies.

Water quality degradation
Other additional environmental impacts to note is that the EIS states that surface water runoff will be expected to enter the river, which will cause a degradation of water quality in the Lane Cover River. This will occur both during construction and after the development is constructed, as there will be a lot more hard surface and water runoff as a result. The plans indicate that the clearing will extend all the way to the tidal flat, increasing the risk of erosion and runoff. The site is on a slope which will further exacerbate runoff, especially during rain events.

Noise and lighting
Additionally fauna (and as well as bushwalkers who are trying to enjoy the tranquility of Lane Cove National Park) are likely to be disrupted by the constant mechanical noise from the internal workings of the data centre’s cooling systems and backup generators. Lighting from the perimeter of the centre will also affect the many species of bats that are present in and around the Lane Cove National Park.
The current development proposal, which involves significant tree clearing in this setback, also appears to directly contradict the NSW Government’s own planning and climate change policies.

Surely there is another site that can be used, which doesn’t involve the unnecessary destruction of mature vegetation and displacement of threatened and vulnerable fauna in a much-loved location. We should be protecting what few, mature trees we have, not chopping them down just for another data centre. Please reconsider this proposal.

Dear Major Projects team, my submission is to strongly object to the proposal to clear native bushland on Julius Avenue, North Ryde, for the construction of a data centre. This land is a critical biodiversity corridor between Lane Cove National Park and surrounding industrial areas, providing much-needed habitat for native flora and fauna which are already under pressure from urban development. Its destruction conflicts with the objectives of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the principles of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, which require protection of ecological values and sustainable land use. The proposal also contradicts government commitments to reducing urban heat and preserving green infrastructure. There are many other vacant and underutilised commercial sites across Sydney suitable for adaptive reuse for a data centre such as this one. There is no justification for clearing irreplaceable bushland and its mature trees. The idea that new trees will be planted elsewhere is, frankly, a joke. I urge the government to PLEASE reject this development and ensure compliance with environmental obligations by safeguarding this land for future generations. Thank you for doing the right thing.

I have reviewed the plans publicly available to build the Julius Avenue Data Centre on a site above the Lane Cove River which currently is a critical wildlife corridor and habitat.

I appreciate the opportunity to make comment on this plan. I strongly oppose the development as it would involve extensive clearing of native bushland habitat above the Lane Cove River.

The plans state that 509 mature trees (Page 9 of EIS - Julius Avenue Data Centre 240625) will be removed from 1.2 hectares of land. This bushland at this site is Sydney Coastal Enriched Sandstone Forest—a critically endangered ecological community. The site is known habitat for three threatened animal species and four threatened plant species, all of which could be put at further risk. Even the development’s own Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) acknowledges the potential for serious and irreversible impacts on local biodiversity.

In clearing this site of mature trees, native shrubs such as grass trees (which are at least 100 years old), boronias and countless smaller plants will also be destroyed. The mature trees are a critical habitat for native wildlife in the Lane Cove Valley, providing nesting sites in tree hollows for birds and marsupials. The tree hollows take many decades to form in mature trees. The flowers and seeds of the plants in the parcel of land to be cleared of mature trees and other vegetation are also a critical food source for the wildlife in the Lane Cove River Valley.

The current strip of vegetation adjoining bushland next to the river provides a critically important corridor for animals to travel along the Lane Cove River. I am a member of the bush regeneration team working along the Lane Cove River at Sugarloaf Point in Lane Cove National Park, downstream from the Epping Road Bridge. While working on the site we are often joined by wallabies and other marsupials. We have therefore seen firsthand how native fauna such as wallabies are moving along the Lane Cove River via the corridor of bush which is still present. This will be severely impacted if the removal of existing mature native bushland proposed by the Julius Avenue Data Centre development occurs. The destruction of native bushland would halve the width of the wildlife corridor at this site.

The precious bushland at this specific location cannot be offset by planting native species at any other location. With hollows in native trees taking many decades to develop, planting seedlings now in a remote location cannot replace the existing native bush on this site above the Lane Cove River. This habitat and food source will be lost for the native animals living in the adjacent National Park.

Increased sedimentation of the Lane Cove River following tree removal in the valley has been an important problem in the past. If this clearing of native vegetation occurs above bushland adjoining the Lane Cove River, how will the developers ensure there is no runoff of soil into the adjacent bush and the Lane Cove River?

How will this development be monitored to ensure all the environmental assurances in the DA are actually kept? What penalties would apply if they were not complied with?

I understand that the area affected by this proposal falls within a designated landscape setback for the recent rezoning of the Macquarie Park and North Ryde area. Allowing this site to be cleared contradicts the aim of such a landscape setback, which should retain and reinforce the green character of an area with mature vegetation.

I am therefore writing to request that this development not be approved at this site. It will destroy irreplaceable native bushland in the Lane Cove River valley. I understand that data centres are needed into the future, but they can be built on existing cleared land e.g. old factory sites across Sydney (of which there are many). A fragile native environment should not be destroyed for this purpose.

Please refer to attachment.

I am a local resident who opposes this project on the basis of the environmental harms and damages it would cause. The demolition of sensitive ecological communities will cause devastating impacts to the wildlife that calls the Lane Cove river corridor their home. This will further push the native fauna imperative to the local ecosystems out from this part of Sydney when their numbers have already dropped drastically. The trees proposed for removal cannot simply be justified by replanting in a new area. Their age indicates they are well established in the area and they provide valuable resources for local fauna. Please consider the impacts on flora and fauna in the outcomes of this project. We cannot further demolish critically sensitive habitats when so much has already been cleared. A better alternative would be to build the data centre in land that has already been cleared without deforesting the Lane Cove River catchment.

I object to this proposal as there has not been sufficient consideration of alternatives to prevent impacts on biodiversity values.
Section 3.6 b) of the EIS state "Consideration was given to carrying out development on alternate sites, these were dismissed as the Site resulted in the most beneficial outcomes for the Proposal. B".
None of these alternate sites are mentioned or discussed. The statement provided is weak and provides no evidence that sufficient investigations have occurred to find alternate sites that would minimise ecological impacts.
The statement 'All potential environmental impacts concerning the proposed development are generally able to be suitably mitigated within the Site; ' is not true. Offsets are required for the proposal, which demonstrates that significant impacts on native vegetation will occur. Which alternatives were investigated that would prevent/minimise impacts on native vegetation?
The removal of over 500 trees is completely unacceptable for the type of development proposed. The vegetation proposed to be removed provides valuable habitat and a wildlife corridor for a variety of native fauna. The protection of this habitat should be prioritised, not dismissed as an unfortunate side-effect.
More can be done to find alternate sites that would result in less impacts. Stop eroding the remaining pockets of wildlife and biodiversity values in Sydney. These values should be protected to the furthest extent possible.

I strongly object to the proposal to clear native bushland on Julius Avenue, North Ryde, for the construction of a data centre. This land functions as a critical biodiversity corridor between Lane Cove National Park and surrounding industrial areas, providing habitat for native flora and fauna. Its destruction would conflict with the objectives of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the principles of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, which require protection of ecological values and sustainable land use. The proposal also contradicts government commitments to reducing urban heat and preserving green infrastructure. With an abundance of vacant and underutilised commercial sites across Sydney suitable for adaptive reuse, there is no justification for clearing irreplaceable bushland. I urge the government to reject this development and ensure compliance with environmental obligations by safeguarding this land for future generations.

This project has massive environmental impact it will strip away vital buffer zones for native Australian wildlife that need it to access the national park. Native land heritage cannot be replaced. Protect bushland and nature pathways and buffer zones they are vital to community mental health and the survival or engaged native Australian animals.

This is an unnecessary destruction of what little natural green space we have left. The native local fauna are being eradicated as they have no where to live or forage. We used to see beautiful powerful owls and bandicoot’s but sadly no longer see these creatures. They can build a data centre anywhere, why ruin what’s left of the green belt in the national park. These developers are greedy and self interested. They should donate the land to the National Park. This area also has indigenous significance and this is being erased too. Please don’t let this development go ahead. Look at that disastrous tower being built in Macquarie Park that you can see a mile away, building tomorrow’s ghettos today.

Do not get rid of hundreds of trees and its habitat. Even if more trees would be planted it's not the same as an already established habitat. This is an important buffer zone between the other developments and lane cove river

The position of the site will disrupt the Great North Walk track visually and audibly. Many old and valuable trees will be removed, this is not suitable for a national park so close to the city, which is a valuable habitat and refuge for many native species which would otherwise slowly disappear from Sydney.

What an absolute disgrace. To destroy the homes of native birds and other wildlife, and destroy more than 500 well established trees is abhorrent. Planting new trees in a different area makes absolutely no difference. The company can go find another available space where there is minimal destruction to the homes of species that don’t have a voice.

This area of bush land must be protected. Flora and fauna in the area must be protected, use an existing site for the project instead of wiping out more native wildlife and habitats.