Julius Avenue Data Centre

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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 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

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.

I wish to object to the removal of a significant number of trees on this site, adjacent to Lane Cove National Park. This is also a habitat corridor and I have persally seen wallabies and echidna in this bushland while using the walking trails. The development in the area has been significant and this is the only remnant bushland left in the vicinity. I was told (as a staff member at CSIRO) that this bushland was ro remain when the site was subdivided. The data centre footprint should be adjusted to achieve the floorspace vertically. It appears to be a case of greedy developers, with no appreciation or willingness to protect our environment. I support the development in a modified format to protect the remaining bushland.

The environmental impact to the area is unjustifiable considering the expanse of vegetation and trees that is being cleared. Impact of the aesthetic pleasures of Lane Cove National Park and impact on Fauna species including threatened which would be utilising the area.

I’m writing to object to the proposed data centre near the Julius Avenue entrance to the Great North Walk in North Ryde.

This development would involve cutting down 509 trees and clearing 1.2 hectares of Sydney Coastal Enriched Sandstone Forest, which is a Critically Endangered Ecological Community. The area is also known to support three threatened animal species and four threatened plant species. Even the developer’s own Biodiversity Assessment acknowledges the potential for serious and irreversible damage to the area’s ecosystems. That level of impact is simply not acceptable.

On top of the biodiversity damage, aren't data centres very noisy essentially operating like giant computers with continuous cooling systems? This would seriously affect the peace and quiet of Lane Cove National Park, making the experience worse for local residents, visitors, and people who use the Great North Walk. Excessive noise could also impact the health and wellbeing of native animals, many of which rely on quiet environments for feeding, breeding, and shelter.

Also, didn’t the NSW Government rezone Macquarie Park and North Ryde last year to allow for more housing and to improve amenity? I read that the Biodiversity Conservation branch recommended keeping and strengthening the existing green setbacks with mature planting. Letting a development go ahead that removes so many trees goes against that recommendation and could set a worrying precedent for future projects. It also directly affects the natural beauty and value of the Great North Walk.

Finally, cutting down hundreds of mature trees will make it harder to fight climate change. These trees store carbon and help cool the local area. We should be protecting our urban canopy, not clearing it. Approving this development would go against the government’s own climate and sustainability goals.

For all these reasons, I ask that this development application be refused. It doesn’t align with the environmental values, planning goals, or community expectations for the area.

If this plan goes ahead it will result in the removal of 509 trees (Page 9 of EIS - Julius Avenue Data Centre 240625) that are part of the important habitat corridor right next to the Park and the Great North Walk near Fairyland.
Heat island effects, loss of animal habitat, bushfire risk and noise are other issues.
There is loss of habitat for three threatened fauna species, namely: Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri, Little Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus australis and Large Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus orianae oceanensis, and four threatened plant species, being Darwinia biflora, Deyeuxia appressa, Hibbertia spanantha and Rhizanthella slateri.

Adjacent to Lane Cove National Park, this development will destroy a vital green space in North Ryde/Macquarie Park where there are high residential densities. It will increase the heat island effect and noise.
It is in a bushfire risk area.
The removal of so many trees will impact on native animal corridors and the biodiversity of the area.

The proposal will threaten the already delicate native habitat of many species including:
Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri, Little Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus australis Large Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus orianae oceanensis
four threatened plant species, Darwinia biflora, Deyeuxia appressa, Hibbertia spanantha and Rhizanthella slateri

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.

Being a 24 /7 open place with backup generators i object to constant 24/7 operation also the noise associated with cars coming and going also backup generators is not acceptable.

In 1999 my first project as a site engineer with lend lease was to build the Binary Centre some blocks up from the proposed Julius Centre. Fast forward 25 years and I look back with some shame at having been involved in that project. Back then, we did not know so much about climate change and how retaining forests in urban area would not only become vital but also so difficult to achieve because of the impact of urban heat, traffic, water diversion, weeds and pollutants on plants and animals. Some people did know though. And there was significant outcry at the time. So I just cannot believe that government is still allowing development zones in this business park to come this close to the river. Any person who has walked around the lane cove river at this point cannot fail to notice that the buildings are far too close to the river and that it would be preferable if a far greater depth of native forest ( not planted landscaping) is maintained to preserve a natural corridor and to enable the biodiversity around this very significant waterway to be maintained. The forests around waterways are very hospitable places for many plants and animals to live. They are treasure troves to be maintained for future generations and due to climate change they cannot be replaced once they are lost as the conditions that ushered their growth over thousands of years will never happen again in the future as we get hotter and the rainfall changes and surrounding buildings impact water patterns, heat, shading, wind, air quality and seed/insect/ animal pathways. If bushfire regulations are driving the need to remove this amount of exisiting vegetation, this site should not be permitted to have such a large footprint of devslopment and/or the type of development on the site should not require this level bushfire risk reduction. Ideally Council should be looking to buy back some of this land or impose a much wider biodiversity corridor along the river. It is simply horrifying that in 2025 this would be contemplated along the Lane Cove River

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.

My name is Ron Cooper, and my address is 1/2 Morven Gardens Greenwich. I am writing to express my strong objection to the proposed removal of 509 trees in Lane Cove National Park. The removal of these trees will result in significant habitat loss for native wildlife, including birds and small mammals including echidna, several different types of possums, at least 2 different types of Lace Monitors and many other types of reptiles, will all be negatively impacted biodiversity in the area. The trees accomodate people to get aways from built up environment city sounds and be able to get back to nature.
We need more trees, not less!!

I urge the council to consider alternative options that minimize harm to the environment, such as adjusting the development plans to avoid tree removal or implementing measures to protect and relocate affected wildlife. I strongly believe that preserving the natural beauty and ecological integrity of Lane Cove National Park is essential, and I urge the council to reconsider their decision to remove these trees.