Julius Avenue Data Centre

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed Julius Avenue Data Centre (SSD-80018208).

While I understand the growing demand for data and digital infrastructure, particularly at this time, this particular project comes at the unacceptable cost of destroying priceless bushland. Sydney’s remaining natural areas are disappearing rapidly, and once lost they cannot be restored. The site forms part of an important local biodiversity corridor, providing habitat for native flora and fauna and contributing to the ecological health of the Lane Cove River catchment. The proposed offset plantings cannot replicate the ecological function of established bushland.

The proposed development has also raised a range of wider planning and infrastructure concerns. Data centres are extremely resource-intensive, particularly in terms of water and energy consumption, yet the proposal does not provide clear information about long-term sustainability. At a time when Macquarie Park is intended to evolve as an innovation and employment precinct, replacing bushland with a low-employment, high-impact use risks undermining broader strategic objectives for the area. Destroying invaluable bushland cannot be a better option than cleared greenfield or brownfield alternatives.

I object strongly to the proposal, and urge the NSW Government to refuse this and any future proposals at this location. Development of new data centres is important, but must take place appropriate industrial or brownfield sites where they do not result in permanent loss of biodiversity and strain on ecological resources.

Do not clear more of our bushland for a data centre, repurpose existing industrial land. The replacement trees are not enough.

Submission for:

Julius Avenue Data Centre
SSD-80018208
6-8 Julius Avenue, North Ryde (lot 89 DP 1082131)

I write to object to the establishment of a data centre at Julius Avenue, North Ryde.

My objections are based on the size of scope of the work, the impact on the ecosystem, and the
location.

I feel the building footprint is excessive. It should be possible to re-design the building layout to avoid having to encroach on the remnant bushland at the south and south east of the site, and use the proposed road as part of the asset protection zone. The substation should be located away from the bushland side of the site.

It will take a long time to build as well, and during this time the builders will be allowed to work outside normal hours, increasing noise emissions from the site.

The proposed site has been vacant for approx. 20 years and now appears to have reverted to swamp land and marshes. I visited the site recently and could hear frogs and see many birds on the site.

The site is located adjacent to bushland on the shore of the Lane Cove River, and the site has a high bushfire risk, which requires an Asset Protection Zone (APZ) between the bushland and the proposed site buildings. The proposed APZ will require extensive land clearing including the removal of a high number of trees and the building of a road through the site.

According to the RFS (https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/4412/Guideline-for-Councils-to-Bushfire-Prone-Area-Land-Mapping.pdf):

“Vegetation Category 1 Vegetation Category 1 is considered to be the highest risk for bush fire. It is represented as red on the bush fire prone land map and will be given a 100m buffer. This vegetation category has the highest combustibility and likelihood of forming fully developed fires including heavy ember production. Vegetation Category 1 consists of: › Areas of forest, woodlands, heaths (tall and short), forested wetlands and timber plantations.  
from RFS.”

My main concern is the number of mature trees that will need to be felled, and the clearance of forested land required to maintain an adequate APZ.

Thanks and regards
William Currie

Destroying established native bushland cannot be offset by planting 750 trees elsewhere it is an irreplaceable ecosystem, not just the number of trees . The project causes permanent biodiversity loss, worsens urban heat, and adds huge water and energy strain from the data centre itself. Allowing this sets a dangerous precedent that developers can bulldoze habitat and green space then fix it with small gestures.

I object to the project on the grounds of the removal of native vegetation. The destruction of an established ecosystem is not rectified by the planting of new saplings elsewhere. Additionally, the factors of carbon sequestration, impact on local fauna, and urban heat island effect appear not to have been thoroughly considered and accounted for in this project. Finally, the native vegetation serves an arguably greater societal function than the proposed data centre.

The proposed Data Centre requires the removal of 500 mature trees next to Lane Cove National Park. All mature trees are precious habitat for the dwindling wildlife of Sydney. Please put the data Centre in an area that does not impact the habitat of native animals, and have a detrimental impact on Lane Cove National Park.
The data centre can be put in an area already cleared and built up and should not be allowed to impact native bushland and the people who like to use it and see the trees and native animals thrive. Already there are too many impact on native bushland, and it should be protected not allowed to be decimated unnecessarily, especially when it can go somewhere else and not do damage.
Please do not allow the Julius Avenue data centre to impact the residents, wildlife and bushland.
Many thanks

This is established bushland with native wildlife. On what planet is this ok? On what planet are we supposed to be creating for the future? Because clearing of bush for a data centre is sure as hell going to mean we are living in it. Please think about the hot summers we have, the reliance on air conditioners with the lack of shade and dark roofs. Lane Cove is packed with apartments - where is the foliage and relief for families to enjoy nature? A promise of planting new saplings which will die is not enough. Please don’t approve this.

I’m a local bushcare volunteer, and I know how important this patch of bushland is, not just for the plants and animals that live there, but for the health of the whole corridor that connects to Lane Cove National Park. Losing even one hectare breaks that link and puts more pressure on the ecosystem.
Please reconsider this development. Once bushland is gone, it’s gone for good.

The small bush that Sydney has left, it should be protected and maintained. This includes all all Bush corridors. Has there been any environmental research studies? What is the impact on animals? Trees? Migrating species?
Planting double the trees elsewhere doesn't negate the impact of tearing hundreds of trees that have lived there long enough to impact the soil and environment around them.
There has to be better more suitable places for a data center. Data center is more than just a building. It requires a lot more water, electrical and waste services. There has to be a more suitable area than the home of Australia's Bushland.

We should be preserving our bushland, the list of reasons is well known and it should not be necessary to list them all. Removing over 500 established trees, with all that goes with them, including native fauna, cannot be replaced by planting 750 seedlings that will take decades to grow. It is environmental vandalism and adds to climate destruction.

I bushwalk frequently and very much value what little is left of the bushland in the urban areas. The proposed area of 509 trees to be removed is part of the important habitat corridor for native plants and animals, as well as residents in the area. Green spaces are now more important than ever, especially with high density living in and around the North Ryde metro station. Removal of trees will compound heat island effects, loss of animal habitat, and increase bush fire risk.

There will be loss of habitat for three threatened fauna species: (1) Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri; (2) Little Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus australis; and (3) Large Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus orianae oceanenesis.

There will also be loss of habitat for four threatened plant species: (1) Darwinia biflora, (2) Deyeuxia appressa; (3) Hibbertia spanantha; and (4) Rhizanthella slateri.

Let's keep what little native flora and fauna we have left in Sydney and Australia – this is important for both humans' and the planet's health.

Argument Against Approval: Julius Avenue Data Centre (SSD-80018208)

1. Irreversible Loss of Biodiversity and Habitat
The development will result in the removal of 509 trees (in 188 tree groups), with only 38 trees retained outside the dense bushland area. This is a substantial and permanent loss of mature vegetation in an area directly adjoining Lane Cove National Park, a regionally significant biodiversity corridor.
The EIS admits that 1.33 hectares of native vegetation will be cleared, including Sydney Coastal Enriched Sandstone Forest and Northern Lower Floodplain Eleocharis Wetland. These are not listed as threatened ecological communities, but the EIS concedes that suitable habitat exists for several threatened species, including Darwinia biflora, Large-eared Pied Bat, Little Bent-winged Bat, and others. The presence of these species is “assumed” due to habitat suitability, and offsets are required .
The assertion that “no areas of outstanding biodiversity value lie within the Site” is misleading, as the ecological value of the site is in its connectivity to the National Park and its role as a buffer and extension of bushland. The loss of this vegetation will fragment habitat, reduce ecological resilience, and undermine the integrity of the National Park.

2. Bushfire Risk and Hazardous Materials
The site is classified as bushfire-prone land and directly adjoins Lane Cove National Park. The development will store 1,272,000 litres (1,081 tonnes) of diesel on site in 12 bulk tanks and 72 day tanks. This is a significant hazard in a ridgetop location, especially under worsening climate change conditions.
The EIS relies on compliance with current bushfire protection measures, but acknowledges that the largest asset protection zone is 63 metres, while embers can travel several kilometres in extreme events. The risk of catastrophic fire, fuelled by on-site diesel, is not adequately addressed.
The volume of diesel exceeds the manifest quantity for notification to SafeWork NSW, requiring an emergency plan and notification to Fire and Rescue NSW. However, the EIS does not demonstrate that the risk to life and property can be fully mitigated, especially given the proximity to bushland and the increasing frequency of extreme bushfires.

3. Excessive Scale and Inadequate Justification
The proposal is for a seven-storey data hall building, a five-storey office, and a six-storey generator gantry, with a maximum height of 50.93m—exceeding the incentive maximum building height by 13.1%. The justification for this height is based on technical requirements, but the operational workforce is only 50 people.
The scale of the building is disproportionate to its operational needs, especially as the EIS itself notes that staffing may decrease further as artificial intelligence is implemented. The argument that such a large structure is required for so few staff is not convincing, particularly given the environmental cost.

4. Significant and Unmitigated Visual Impacts
The Visual Impact Assessment confirms that the development will create minor to high visual impacts from 23 viewpoints, with “moderate to high/moderate” impacts generally limited to those in proximity, including commercial offices, walking tracks, and parts of Lane Cove National Park.
The EIS concedes that the building will be a “new and prominent element” in the landscape, with a “substantial change to the baseline” for many receptors. The mitigation measures (e.g., façade treatments, landscaping) do not eliminate the fundamental issue of bulk and scale in a sensitive location.

5. Failure to Demonstrate Net Public Benefit
While the EIS claims economic and social benefits (e.g., job creation, infrastructure), the operational workforce is minimal, and the broader benefits are generic and not site-specific.
The environmental costs—loss of mature bushland, increased bushfire risk, and visual intrusion—are permanent and cannot be offset by the limited public benefit offered.

Conclusion
Given the above, the Julius Avenue Data Centre development should not proceed because:
It will cause irreversible loss of native vegetation and habitat, undermining the ecological integrity of Lane Cove National Park.
It introduces unacceptable bushfire and hazardous materials risks in a sensitive ridgetop location.
The scale of the development is excessive and not justified by operational needs.
Visual and amenity impacts are significant and cannot be fully mitigated.
Concerns about biodiversity, bushland, and visual impacts have not been adequately addressed.
The net public benefit is not demonstrated and does not outweigh the environmental and social costs.

Recommendation:
The consent authority should refuse the application on the grounds of unacceptable environmental, safety, and community impacts, and require the proponent to seek alternative sites or designs that avoid these significant adverse effects.

It is proposed to remove 509 trees that are part of a habitat corridor adjacent to Lane Cove National Park. My concern is that the proposal to offset this by planting 750 trees elsewhere does NOT address the problem created IN THAT AREA by the destruction of approx. 300 mature trees that were there prior to a 2009 site development, some (most) of which take many, many years (100-plus) to grow to the maturity required in order for them to become habitat trees (e.g., the development of hollows, as well as supporting the growth of branches, leaves and blossom/ fruit). I object to the proposal in its current format - not necessarily the development of a data centre in that area, but certainly the proposal to remove so many trees.
As well as significant impacts to the habitat for plants and animals, as well as the visual impact, removal of so many trees will add to the urban heat island effect, remove the capacity of trees to absorb carbon dioxide as well as rainwater (which allows water to be retained in the soil longer, reducing erosion issues) and contribute to a general loss of amenity, increase of noise and possibly increase of the risk of bushfire.
There are several threatened species of both animals and birds which will be greatly impacted by the loss of habitat from this proposed project.

This project will have significant negative impact to the eco-system around lane cove national park.

The proposal means the removal of bushland in the area, and the hum from an existing data centre is noticeable and is already
undermining the serenity of the area - more data centres would mean less amenity. I often walk around the area, and having serene bushland is something I appreciate along with many others. Data centres require water for cooling, and there's the impact of either water removed from the river for evaporative cooling or waste heat being put into the river, though if we're talking water from the Sydney Water that is its own problem when water shortages show themselves in future. It's my suspicion that the data centres are intentionally located close to a water source, though obviously at some level also wherever land is available.

The 416 Group aims to represent residents of Killara and Lindfield who live west of Lady Game Drive. Its particular objectives are to work to ensure that current and future developments and activities do not degrade the natural assets of the area and that quality of life is maintained. More information about the group is here: https://www.416group.org.
The 416 Group area is poorly served by bus. The author of this submission lives 800 metres from the nearest bus stop and there are no footpaths. Residents in the area are dependent on their cars and use Lady Game Drive to travel north or south and have experienced steadily increasing congestion at the junction of Lady Game Drive and Delhi Rd at Fullers Bridge which is one lane each way. In the morning peak Lady Game Drive backs up more than 1km from the Delhi Rd junction. This congestion has grown as commercial and residential development has occurred on Delhi Rd, North Ryde. For this reason, we do not support any further development on Delhi Rd until infrastructure has been built to support it. Having said data centres with relatively few full-time staff are the least-worst kind of development and also are supported in principle as being consistent with Macquarie Park masterplan and being important to Australia's future prosperity.
The proposed development is too large and in particular through destruction of mature tress impacts on important natural bushland along the Lane Cove River corridor and the Great North Walking track which adjoins the site. The location of the access road and the Ausgrid STSS are problematic.
Why Mature Trees Matter
The mature trees along the river are vital. They provide shade, nesting hollows, help keep the area cool, and support a wide range of wildlife—including nesting birds, possums, insects, and even the ospreys that live just across the river. Their roots help reduce erosion. Young trees simply can’t do all this. It takes decades for them to grow and offer the same benefits. Removing the mature trees would leave a big gap in the ecosystem that can’t be quickly fixed.
A Home for Wildlife
The Lane Cove River is a rich and diverse habitat, home to many native and even threatened species, such as the powerful owl. The tall tree canopy helps animals move safely through the area and connects patches of bushland. If these trees are removed, it will break those connections and make it harder for wildlife to survive. It also increases risks from predators, noise, and light. The back up power generation located to "minimise impact on commercial and residential" maximises impact on the natural environment.
Problems with the Replacement Plan
Planting small native trees doesn’t make up for the loss of mature habitat. Young trees are fragile and need a lot of care to survive. The scale of this tree removal would change the landscape dramatically, and not just in how it looks—it would affect the whole ecosystem. We ask that this proposal and look for ways to protect the existing mature trees. They are not just part of the scenery—they are essential to the health of the river and the life it supports.
We propose a smaller development footprint which minimises the destruction of the forest. This may be achieved by reducing the floor area of the development, and/or placing more facilities underground and/or increasing the height. This would also increase the resilience of the project to bushfire. The 1994 Lane Cove Valley wildfire almost reached this site.

I object to the loss of trees and therefore habitat that will be impacted by the project. These are important buffer zones next to Lane Cove National Park and Great North Walk that are inhabited by wildlife and fauna.

I object to this proposal because of the proposed loss of trees and habitat right on the edge of the Lane Cove National Park making it a major threat to the Park. It is also an area mapped as Threatened Ecological Community, coastal enriched sandstone moist forest which I believe should be sufficient to decline this massive development.

The Lane Cove National Park is an invaluable asset, heat sink and lung for Sydney and has been shown to be enormously important to huge numbers of people, especially during Covid. I also immensely value it. I volunteer my time to weed and help bush regeneration. My neighbours and friends also value this wonderful natural asset we have in Sydney. This park is under enormous pressure as it has such a high edge to area ratio and urban impacts around the edge are very significant. This is proposal impacts where the park is at it's narrowest and any connecting bush is vital to protect and hinder any further degradation of the Park.

The EIS says a total of 509 trees are proposed for removal but 200 trees are of low retention value, that means 309 trees are of retention value , a huge number, have walked into this site from Richardson place on the path and it is beautiful resilient native bush with mature trees and tree hollows with a diverse healthy native understorey. I note Ryde Council has also a minuted meeting where Councillors express their concerns over the amount of tree removal and the replacement ratio.

Other points - Is the EIS completed by someone independent of the development company? It is not obvious this is the case. There are also discrepancies in the report leading to questions of it's validity, eg regarding the size of the land, 29ha at the beginning, where other places refer to 2.6-2.9 ha. There does not appear to be any attempts by the developer to 'avoid' impacts to native vegetation and threatened species which must be done. The rocky outcrop found on the site is significant habitat to threatened microbats, large bent-winged, little bent-winged and large-eared pied bat. Caves and rocky outcrops cannot be offset.

Finally, I cannot understand why a huge $1.5 billion project cannot be located elsewhere on unused and vacant/unoccupied blocks in Macquarie Park where there is ample evidence of both. A Data centre can be located anywhere and does not need to use a very sensitive and ecologically important site for the build.

We are scared. You are actively killing organisms and contributing to climate change. 500 trees may seem to small to powerful people like you but that's evil and inconsiderate it's a disgustingly high toll and will take integral oxygen from our atmosphere, increase global warming and contribute to the impending fatal consequences of climate change, the inevitable erosion and death of our world and all in it. You are stripping the lives and habitats of innocent animals support the balance of our precious ecosystem and will slowly die off and unable to sustain life at all and eventually it will harm us too. You are undoing all our communities efforts to try survive and using up energy and water that is sacred and our community truly needs and snatching it off those already suffering, and families can barely provide it for basic adequate standard of living for individuals under their care. Its horrifying you are even considering and planning to contribute to this, please stop, you have no idea the danger and harm you are doing to the earth and all life on it, every action makes a huge difference, and this could just be the undoing of all of it, please stop immediately, for the wellbeing, safety, and maintenance of life on earth that's already falling apart.
Kind Regards,

Madison Mulhearn (17 years old)

This block provides nesting ground and habitat for the many bird and insect species that exist in Lane Cove national park, it is vital to the biodiversity of the area. Old growth trees cannot be replaced or offset. Planting trees elsewhere will not make up for the destruction of this habitat. Data centres create massive strain on the electrical grid and the generators needed to support it in the event of power outage will create massive amounts of air pollution.