Project Mars Data Centre

I object to the proposed data centre development at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.

I am a resident of Banksia Close, located approximately 30 metres from the proposed site. At this distance, the impacts of this development are not theoretical. They will be direct, constant and unavoidable.

This raises a fundamental question of planning suitability.
What minimum separation or buffer standards have been applied between this type of large scale industrial development and existing residential properties?
Is it considered acceptable planning practice to locate a facility of this scale within approximately 30 metres of homes?

The construction phase alone is expected to last approximately three years, with works occurring 7am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. In reality, projects of this scale frequently extend beyond their initial timeframe.

If construction extends to five or more years, how will prolonged exposure to continuous noise and dust be managed for residents living within 30 metres of the site?
What enforceable limits and protections will be in place to ensure that nearby residents are not subjected to years of ongoing disruption?
What happens if those limits are exceeded?

The proposal does not provide sufficient clarity on how the day to day impacts on residents will be mitigated, particularly for families with young children and elderly individuals who are more sensitive to prolonged environmental stressors.

Have any independent health impact assessments been undertaken to evaluate the effects of long term exposure to construction noise, dust and associated environmental factors on nearby residents?
If not, on what basis can it be concluded that the impacts are acceptable?

There is also a lack of transparency regarding accountability.
If residents experience adverse impacts on their health, wellbeing or living conditions, what formal mechanisms are in place to address these impacts?
What recourse do residents have if the impacts are greater than predicted?

Given the extremely close proximity of residential homes, these concerns are immediate and significant. The proposal does not demonstrate that impacts can be effectively mitigated over the duration of construction or operation.

For these reasons, I do not consider this site suitable for a development of this scale and intensity.

I request that the project be refused due to site unsuitability and unacceptable impacts on the surrounding residential community.

This submission strongly objects to the proposed data centre at 12 Mars Road as it fails to demonstrate site suitability and does not meet the public interest test under section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. The project is assessed in isolation despite forming part of a rapidly growing cluster of hyperscale data centres, with no meaningful cumulative impact assessment. Key impacts relating to noise, air quality and proximity to homes and a school are understated and rely on assumptions and incomplete data. Infrastructure capacity remains uncertain and compliance concerns from existing facilities raise serious doubts about enforcement in practice. The proposal places significant and long-term impacts on a small residential community while delivering limited local benefit. For details, please refer to the attached document.

I am submitting on behalf of my son

I object to the proposed data centre development at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.

I am a resident of Banksia Close, located approximately 30 metres from the proposed site. At this distance, the impacts of this development are not theoretical. They will be direct, constant and unavoidable.

This raises a fundamental question of planning suitability.
What minimum separation or buffer standards have been applied between this type of large scale industrial development and existing residential properties?
Is it considered acceptable planning practice to locate a facility of this scale within approximately 30 metres of homes?

The construction phase alone is expected to last approximately three years, with works occurring 7am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. In reality, projects of this scale frequently extend beyond their initial timeframe.

If construction extends to five or more years, how will prolonged exposure to continuous noise and dust be managed for residents living within 30 metres of the site?
What enforceable limits and protections will be in place to ensure that nearby residents are not subjected to years of ongoing disruption?
What happens if those limits are exceeded?

The proposal does not provide sufficient clarity on how the day to day impacts on residents will be mitigated, particularly for families with young children and elderly individuals who are more sensitive to prolonged environmental stressors.

Have any independent health impact assessments been undertaken to evaluate the effects of long term exposure to construction noise, dust and associated environmental factors on nearby residents?
If not, on what basis can it be concluded that the impacts are acceptable?

There is also a lack of transparency regarding accountability.
If residents experience adverse impacts on their health, wellbeing or living conditions, what formal mechanisms are in place to address these impacts?
What recourse do residents have if the impacts are greater than predicted?

Given the extremely close proximity of residential homes, these concerns are immediate and significant. The proposal does not demonstrate that impacts can be effectively mitigated over the duration of construction or operation.

For these reasons, I do not consider this site suitable for a development of this scale and intensity.

I request that the project be refused due to site unsuitability and unacceptable impacts on the surrounding residential community.

I object to the proposed data centre development at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.

I am a resident of Banksia Close, located approximately 30 metres from the proposed site. At this distance, the impacts of this development are not theoretical. They will be direct, constant and unavoidable.

This raises a fundamental question of planning suitability.
What minimum separation or buffer standards have been applied between this type of large scale industrial development and existing residential properties?
Is it considered acceptable planning practice to locate a facility of this scale within approximately 30 metres of homes?

The construction phase alone is expected to last approximately three years, with works occurring 7am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. In reality, projects of this scale frequently extend beyond their initial timeframe.

If construction extends to five or more years, how will prolonged exposure to continuous noise and dust be managed for residents living within 30 metres of the site?
What enforceable limits and protections will be in place to ensure that nearby residents are not subjected to years of ongoing disruption?
What happens if those limits are exceeded?

The proposal does not provide sufficient clarity on how the day to day impacts on residents will be mitigated, particularly for families with young children and elderly individuals who are more sensitive to prolonged environmental stressors.

Have any independent health impact assessments been undertaken to evaluate the effects of long term exposure to construction noise, dust and associated environmental factors on nearby residents?
If not, on what basis can it be concluded that the impacts are acceptable?

There is also a lack of transparency regarding accountability.
If residents experience adverse impacts on their health, wellbeing or living conditions, what formal mechanisms are in place to address these impacts?
What recourse do residents have if the impacts are greater than predicted?

Given the extremely close proximity of residential homes, these concerns are immediate and significant. The proposal does not demonstrate that impacts can be effectively mitigated over the duration of construction or operation.

For these reasons, I do not consider this site suitable for a development of this scale and intensity.

I request that the project be refused due to site unsuitability and unacceptable impacts on the surrounding residential community.

I object to the proposed data centre development at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.

I am a resident of Banksia Close, located approximately 30 metres from the proposed site. At this distance, the impacts of this development are not theoretical. They will be direct, constant and unavoidable.

This raises a fundamental question of planning suitability.
What minimum separation or buffer standards have been applied between this type of large scale industrial development and existing residential properties?
Is it considered acceptable planning practice to locate a facility of this scale within approximately 30 metres of homes?

The construction phase alone is expected to last approximately three years, with works occurring 7am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. In reality, projects of this scale frequently extend beyond their initial timeframe.

If construction extends to five or more years, how will prolonged exposure to continuous noise and dust be managed for residents living within 30 metres of the site?
What enforceable limits and protections will be in place to ensure that nearby residents are not subjected to years of ongoing disruption?
What happens if those limits are exceeded?

The proposal does not provide sufficient clarity on how the day to day impacts on residents will be mitigated, particularly for families with young children and elderly individuals who are more sensitive to prolonged environmental stressors.

Have any independent health impact assessments been undertaken to evaluate the effects of long term exposure to construction noise, dust and associated environmental factors on nearby residents?
If not, on what basis can it be concluded that the impacts are acceptable?

There is also a lack of transparency regarding accountability.
If residents experience adverse impacts on their health, wellbeing or living conditions, what formal mechanisms are in place to address these impacts?
What recourse do residents have if the impacts are greater than predicted?

Given the extremely close proximity of residential homes, these concerns are immediate and significant. The proposal does not demonstrate that impacts can be effectively mitigated over the duration of construction or operation.

For these reasons, I do not consider this site suitable for a development of this scale and intensity.

I request that the project be refused due to site unsuitability and unacceptable impacts on the surrounding residential community.

Please find my objection attached

I strongly oppose this data centre project at this location. No data centres should be built in this precious environment without proper assessment on its impacts on the environment and on the health of the population.
The cumulative impacts of the four (4) data centres of Lane Cove West must also be considered.

I am in year 2. I live near Blackman Park. I go to school at Lane Cove West. I heard there might be a really big data centre. I don’t like it because it will be too loud and I wont sleep good.
I like playing and doing my dance class at the park. I don’t want it to be noisy or dirty. I also like the birds. Birds don’t like noise. Please don’t build it.

[note: comments written by child, submission managed by parent]

The site is fundamentally unsuitable for a data centre - directly proximal to many homes, sensitive bushland habitats, and heavily used recreational facilities all of which will be impacted by 24/7 noise, increased temperatures, and air pollution. Changing the use from light industrial/business use to a data centre removes more of the dwindling supply of these kind of commercial spaces in the inner ring suburbs- these physical job creating businesses will be lost.

The heat dissipated into the environment has been shown in overseas studies to have a large impact on the local temperatures (https://www.newscientist.com/article/2521256-ai-data-centres-can-warm-surrounding-areas-by-up-to-9-1c/) up to 9 degrees C.

There seems to have been very little consideration of the cumulative impact of the multiple data centres in this area - large electrical usage stressing transmission infrastructure, heat generation, water consumption and replacing of thriving commercial spaces with dead machinery halls manned by skeleton crews.

Other jurisdictions are waking up to the knee jerk parasitical growth of data centres - sited to exploit infrastructure rather than contribute to it. Are we the "clever country"? or the only ones left who are stupid enough to be allowing these kind of developments in our established populated areas. In my view this application isn't about improving infrastructure, the local economy, or indeed the wider economy and the community, environmental impacts outweigh any theoretical benefits

I object to the proposal. The tranquillity, safety, and wellbeing of our community are at risk with the proposed construction of a large scale data centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West — in close proximity to homes, Lane Cove West Public School, and Blackman Park. While data centres are important pieces of digital infrastructure, this proposal raises significant planning, environmental, and community impact concerns that require careful and transparent assessment.
Data centres operate 24/7 and typically involve substantial energy and water use, heat output, mechanical plant, and diesel backup systems. These elements can affect surrounding residential and educational environments through noise, traffic, visual bulk, and air quality impacts. The suitability of this location — adjacent to a primary school and key community spaces — warrants thorough scrutiny.

I strongly oppose the proposal. The harm that will impact the community and environment, from development onwards, substantially outweighs any benefit which also would not flow back to the community.

Lane Cove is situated in protected natural space. Excavation, even if not directly intruding, will no doubt have a great impact. Previous projects have disturbed Lane Cove's wildlife, including endangered species, in the past.

Lane Cove, as a smaller LGA, also has a significant demographic of elderly residents and families with young children. There is no clear information regarding the demand of resources, noise pollution and impact on traffic. The proposed project greatly exceeds the height limit, amplifying the pollution and impact during its development and operation. As the area is no stranger to water shortages and outages from poor weather conditions or necessary repairs, we cannot allow the project to unnecessarily exacerbate the resources.

Please find attached my submission objecting to this proposal.

Submitted on behalf of the Lane Cove Football Club

I am wary of the project, given the current inadequacy of regulation. And I do object to the proposal to locate even more centres adjacent to this centre. I am a resident of Lane Cove West and live within 200 metres of the proposed development so my main concern is the level and type of noise. Apparently it is up to the business itself to monitor noise levels . I would like to know if there ARE stated acceptable noise levels for various times of the day, how and where are they measured and what power local residents have to make objections if they think that the levels are too great. And how much effort will be involved on the part of local residents to apply to have changes made, eg additional noise barriers constructed ?

And on another note, how will the large water and energy requirements of this centre ( and proposed future ones in the Lane Cove West industrial area) impact on Sydney residents and Lane Cove residents in particular? What plans are in place for very dry periods similar to 2000-2010 and 2017-19 when Warragamba Dam levels decreased to 30-50 percent of capacity and water restrictions were imposed on Sydney residents? What plans have been put in place to deal with these inevitable situations? And who pays for additional desalination plants?

Will this data centre and proposed future centres in this industrial area overload existing electricity infrastructure in and around Lane Cove? Are plans in place to prevent or deal with this possibility?

I'd imagine that this project is a done deal. I want to know that there are strategies in place to deal with any unacceptable impacts. And I would hope that this data centre is the last one in our area. Why not build a new industrial area in Mosman or Hunters Hill and put them there?

Please see attached submission for Project Mars Data Centre, SSD-82052708.

The Lane Cove West industrial area has multiple data centres.
Adding another facility is not allowing for the impact of water available, energy required and noise impact.
Lane Cove West is a residential area and Blackman Park currently provides environmental relief and it would not
be good to have another data centre

I currently live close to the proposed data centre. I have endured the last 13 months of roadworks outside my house to upgrade Sydney Water pipes to allows for the high demand for water by the data centre. I was dismayed at the size of these pipes and the amount of water they would carry. Further research has shown that enormous amounts of water needed for the cooling the centre, much more than I had ever imagined. My first concern is what happens in the next drought when we are all on water restrictions. Do the data centres get priority? Surely the welfare of the population should be taken into before those of data centres. I have also found out that the planning submissions for the data centre do not have any current system in place for recycling this water. We are one of the driest continents on earth yet we will use potable water to run these systems.

Sydney Water seem to have enough money to put in place these huge pipes but do not have enough money to maintain their existing ones. I have endured two water main breaks in the last 12 months within 500m of my house.

I also have concerns about the amount of electricity the data centre will use. Our grid is currently in a precarious position with the threat of blackouts or brownouts on high users days (usually hot weather). During such weather the data centre will draw heavily on both water and electricity exacerbating both problems. Again I see no provision for solar and battery to run the centre. I believe there will be many generators however should the electricity go down. These generators will not only be noisy but will require diesel to run. The political situation in the middle east has shown us how precarious the supply of diesel can be.

My last objection is to noise and pollution. This centre will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There will be noise from the constant air conditioning, or if no electricity as outlined above, diesel generators. There will also be the noise and disruption of building the centre in the first instance.

This centre is close to residential areas, a school and a major park. The pollution, noise, electricity and water requirements are just too much for a project of this size in such as built up area. In fact it is too much in any area not just my backyard!

In its current proposal, not enough has been done to mitigate potential environmental and social risks related to this project.

In particular
-Diesel generators should not form part of the backup power for these sites , given supply chain vulnerability and environmental impact.
-power should not be dependent on existing infrastructure which will impact cost of electricity
-water reliability in Sydney is a real issue with Sydney water already requiring 5.1% +CPI increase in cost until 2030 for improved infrastructure
-proposed site is next to heavily used park, sports fields & dog park.
-site is proposed next to existing residential properties.
- environmental oversight & regulations are below required standards
-reporting and disclosures are still outstanding i.e., long term environmental management plan, fire safety documents, compliance reports.

I strongly object to the proposed data centre at 12 Mars Road.

I am a parent of a child who trains and plays soccer multiple times a week at Blackman Park. This park is not just open space, it is where children build fitness, confidence and friendships. It is a place that supports their physical and mental wellbeing. Introducing a large scale industrial facility immediately adjacent to this environment puts that at risk.

As a personal trainer, I also run sessions in the park with clients of all ages. People come here specifically for fresh air, a sense of space and a healthy environment. The proposal introduces continuous background noise, potential diesel generator use, and years of construction activity, none of which align with a space designed for health and recreation.

This is not a compatible land use next to an active sporting and community hub used daily by families, children and people prioritising their health.

This proposal will directly impact how the park can be used and experienced, and it will diminish the very qualities that make it valuable to the community.

For these reasons, I strongly object to the proposal.