Project Mars Data Centre

Please see letter attached

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

This objection is based on the unacceptable impact on surrounding green spaces, particularly Blackman Park and nearby conservation areas.

These spaces are essential to the character and environmental quality of the area. They provide open, natural environments for recreation, support biodiversity and offer visual relief within an increasingly urban setting. They are not buffers for industrial development.

Placing a large scale, continuously operating facility directly beside these areas will fundamentally change their character. Noise, visual presence and the cumulative impact of multiple data centres in the area will erode the quality and usability of these spaces over time.

Once green space is compromised, it cannot be restored to its original condition.

For these reasons, I strongly believe this site is not appropriate and I respectfully request that the proposal be refused.

Please find attached my submission and also a submission from my children

The Lane Cove Responsible Planning Group strongly objects to this proposal and submits the following documents in support of its position:

Lane Cove Responsible Planning Group – Noise Impact Assessment with Peer Review
Noise Emission Assessment – Expert Peer Review
Lane Cove Responsible Planning Group – Objection Submission

I object to the above proposal.

The reasons I object are:-

1) it is too large and too close to residential homes, the nearest home being approx 20 metres away on 10 Banksia Close. It would be visible and over bearing from Lane Cove’s largest park and sports hub.
2) it is not in keeping with the general character of the surrounding area, being bordered by Conservation, Residential and Recreation zones, not just Industrial
3) our infrastructure in Lane Cove West is already strained, and we have suffered many blackouts over recent years and there are already 2 data centre close by.
4)the noise and air pollution effects are unknown, and the human ear is not designed to process mechanical sounds over extended periods, particularly for young children who are more sensitive.

I object to the proposed Project Mars data centre. Please refer to the attached submission.

To whom it may concern,

My name is 8 years old and I live less than 100 metres from Project Mars Data Centre.

I do not want this project to be built near my home. I am worried it will be noisy all day and all night. I want to be able to sleep properly and wake up ready for school. If there are loud machines, trucks, or generator testing, it could make it hard for me and other kids nearby to rest.

I am also worried about the air pollution from diesel generators and all the construction dust. Kids need clean air because our lungs are still growing. We should not have to breathe dirty air because of a big industrial building next to our homes.

There are also animals that live near my home. I have seen a Powerful Owl nearby, and I often hear Laughing Kookaburra in the mornings. I am worried that the noise, bright lights, and loss of trees will scare them away or hurt them. These animals are part of our neighbourhood too, and they should be protected.

Our streets already have traffic, and more trucks would make it less safe for children walking, riding bikes, or going to school.

My neighbourhood is for families and children. It should be a safe and quiet place to live, not next to a giant 24-hour industrial facility.

Please say no to this development.

Thank you.

I am a resident of Lane Cove West with young children attending Lane Cove West Public School and regularly using Blackman Park. I oppose the proposal on the basis that it is inappropriate for its context and will have profoundly negative impacts on local residents and the local environment.

The proposed development would place a large scale industrial facility with 24hr operation and high levels of noise pollution in immediate proximity to a local public school, Blackman Park, a bushland conservation atea and residential properties. The level of noise pollution from similar facilities is well documented as is the gap between predicted and actual impact. In this particular setting, would result in a significant increase to environmental noise levels for children during both construction and ongoing operation, disrupting their learning and play and introducing potential associated health risks. Given the site is also situated next to Blackman Park, which is used extensively by out of area schools and local community and sports organization the impact of noise pollination would extend to many thousands of children (and their families) who use the park on a weekly basis. local community and environment. For the adjacent residential properties (some as little as 40m from the proposed site) the increased, permanent and round the clock noise levels would almost certainly render their homes unpleasant to inhabit, if not uninhabitable. There are also high risks to the local bushland from construction, water usage and waste.

Secondly my family chose to live and buy our home in Lane Cove West due to the natural environment, the suburb’s charm and community amenities. The proposed data centre would represent an eyesore for the local community - both visible and audible from Blackman Park and residential homes. Should the State Government approve this development, it would essentially also be approving the devaluation of local properties as demand for the area would materially reduce, a devastating proposition for hard working families who have sacrificed to purchase homes in the area.

Thirdly, the local community has already been significantly and unreasonably disrupted by several years of ongoing roadworks (with no end in sight) to support water requirements for data centres that are currently in development in the LCW Business Park. My own street is constantly being dug up, filled, dug up again with heavy machinery operating at all hours of the night, waking my children. My family and neighbours have no appetite for further potential disruptions to support the development of the proposed future data centres, nor do I feel it is reasonable for the residents of one small suburb to be forced to bare significant negative externalities for the commercial benefit of the Goodman Group (or any other enterprise operating a hyper scale data centre).

Data centres are hugely damaging to the environment, and the amount of water usage required to run them is a risk to the local environment and the people in local and surrounding areas. I will never support anything that encourages the development and normalisation of use of generative AI.

See attached pdf document.

I am writing to express my strong and wholehearted objection to the proposed data centre development. As a member of the community, I believe the environmental, health, and infrastructural impacts of this project are unacceptably high and fundamentally incompatible with the existing area.

My objection is based on the following critical concerns:

1. Excessive Strain on Resources (Power and Water)
Our area already suffers from stretched resources. Data centres are notorious for their immense power and water consumption. The volume of water required for cooling and the resulting wastewater cannot be sustainably managed. A "watch and see" approach regarding resource depletion is incomprehensible and puts the local utility security at risk.

2. Proximity to Sensitive Receivers and Noise Pollution
The proposal’s claim that it is not in proximity to sensitive receivers is a blatant falsehood. This site is directly adjacent to housing, schools, playing fields, and parklands. The constant reverberations from massive cooling equipment and backup generators will cause significant noise pollution, detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of residents, students, and workers.

3. Infrastructure and Traffic Congestion
The local arterial roads are already at capacity due to recent residential growth. The area cannot cope with the heavy vehicle traffic required for a build of this scale. Furthermore, the lack of alternative access routes means that the inevitable construction-related road closures and dust pollution will paralyze the community.

4. Zoning and Over-Development
This project significantly exceeds current size regulations and ignores existing zoning protections designed to prevent over-development. While the area has seen growth in housing, the infrastructure was never intended to support the industrial load of a massive data centre.

5. Environmental and Ecological Impact
The site adjoins bushland home to several protected species. The industrial runoff, light pollution, and noise will irreparably damage local biodiversity. Additionally, the displacement of existing small businesses and workers currently operating in the zone will undermine the local economy.

6. Lack of Oversight and Public Interest
Developments of this nature abroad have been frozen due to their catastrophic impacts on local grids and communities. It is alarming that this project is proceeding without a rigorous review of these global failures. Given the history of compliance failures by existing data centres, this project is clearly not in the public interest.

The "almighty dollar" for a few stakeholders should never be prioritised over the health, safety, and resources of the many. I urge the planning authority to reject this proposal in its entirety to protect the future of our community.

I object to the location of the proposed large-scale data centre with homes, school, parkland and sports oval in close proximity. In particular, I have concerns about how the estimated noise levels are calculated when other mechanical details are not finalized i.e. number of air cooled to water cooled units and which noise abatement methods will be used. The potential constant low frequency noise levels require detailed evidence-based assessment before approval. Close neighbours, school and parkland/sports amenities deserve acceptable noise levels to preserve quality of life for the 24/7 operation. What regulatory controls are guaranteed to keep the noise at recommended levels? Already there are complaints about the Air Trunk Data Centre noise from residential units that are situated further away than the homes are to this proposal.
The scale of the development i.e. the height exceeds current limits and the minimal setback from the property border will greatly impact the closest residences & adjacent Council Nursery. It will also be a dominant feature visible over Blackman Park.
The proposal requires significant water and electrical infrastructure from Sydney Water and Ausgrid. Why is potable water being used in large volumes for cooling the systems when only the toilet &U office space will use recycled water? Is there enough capacity to supply water in hot & dry/drought periods? Is the storm water systems able to cope in severe storms? Is there enough power supply during peak summer loads? This potential development will be 1 of 3 data centres in the Lane Cove West Industrial Area so these questions apply threefold.
The long construction period will be disruptive for noise, dust & traffic congestion. We have just had 6 months of disruption/traffic management while Sydney Water contractors drilled and excavated (& re-excavated with more drilling) to lay a new water main along up Mars Road, Banksia Close and Hallam Avenue for the other proposed data centre. Will this be necessary for this development too? There is also restricted parking & significant congestion during school drop off and pick up times.
Internet and data storage are now an integral part of our lives, but location of such a large data centre needs to be carefully selected, and should not impact existing residences, educational or recreational facilities that are close by.

I strongly object to the proposed development.

As a long term resident living in very close proximity to the site, I am deeply concerned by the inconsistencies and lack of clarity across the supporting documentation. I specifically object to the way assumptions within the Environmental Impact Statement are presented as if they are established facts. Key reports rely on indicative designs, assumed equipment performance and future mitigation measures, yet the conclusions are expressed with a level of certainty that is not supported by confirmed data. This creates a misleading impression of impact and undermines confidence in the assessment.

I am also concerned about the potential for noise pollution emanating from the site and the effect this will have on nearby sensitive receivers. The amenity of the adjacent school and surrounding residences will be directly affected, particularly given the close proximity of the development. Continuous operational noise, as well as intermittent but high impact events such as generator testing and use during outages, have the potential to significantly disrupt daily life, learning environments and sleep.

Of equal concern is the removal of approximately 90 fully grown trees from the site. This represents a substantial loss of established vegetation that currently supports local flora and fauna. The removal of these trees will not only diminish biodiversity but will also reduce the natural buffering that contributes to the character and amenity of the area.

The impact on Blackman Park must also be properly considered. This recently completed and highly valued public space is used daily by families, children and the broader community for recreation, sport and outdoor activity. Increased noise and other forms of pollution from the proposed development will directly affect the usability and enjoyment of this important community asset.

This is not a remote industrial site. It is a residential area with families, children and community spaces located in immediate proximity. The documentation does not adequately address these real world impacts, nor does it convincingly assess cumulative impacts given the number of existing and proposed developments nearby.

For these reasons, I strongly object to this development and request that it not be approved.

To: Patrick Copas and other assessing this submission at the Department of Planning and Environment
Re: Application #SSD-82052708 by Goodman

No-one wants to live near a Data Centre. Not even you!
Data centres should not be built within a certain proximity (to be determined from unbiased studies yet to be conducted) to residential homes, schools and other sensitive receptors. There are many reasons for this, and no doubt you will receive numerous grounds for objection to the Project Mars data centre from residents, community groups, our local Lane Cove council and various impacted or concerned industry bodies. Certainly, this proposed data centre (and others in the immediate area being proposed) is much too close to residential and other sensitive receptors such as Lane Cove West Public School, the Lane Cove Community Nursery and my home.

Therefore I object strongly not only to the unproven projections, inconsistencies in various details, generalisations and omissions in the EIS and the scale of the proposed building, but avidly to the location of this data centre itself. From a 21st century commercial perspective, it does not make sense to place a Data Centre at 12 Mars Rd, Lane Cove West when there are several elements of the Federal "Expectations of data centres and AI infrastructure developers | Department of Industry Science and Resources" that I do not believe it meets such as sustainability goals.

Whilst I have contributed to and agree with most of our community’s rationale for why this project and other nearby proposed data centres should not proceed, my submission focuses on what’s important to me and my family.

We are a long time resident of Lane Cove West and have been grateful to have escaped the noise and pollution of an inner city suburb. When we purchased into the area, I was 7 months pregnant with my first child, and performed certain due diligence on the area to ensure it was a safe, clean and a quiet neighbourhood in which to bring up our family. We have enjoyed 23 years in this area with its proximity to Blackman Park with its many amenities, the significant wildlife in the area and its peacefulness especially at night.

This proposal aims to impact and destroy much of this, both in the medium term (during construction) and long term (in operation).

To this end, I draw your consideration to the following points:

There is currently a state parliamentary inquiry into data centres. No new data centres should be approved until this inquiry is complete and the impacts of data centres on urban areas are clear and understood. This may further result in new standards brought into play for the construction of data centres. Don’t let this one “slip through” before this inquiry is completed.

There are no long-term detailed impact assessments of data centres on people and in particular, data centre clusters on the physical and mental health of those who live within a certain defined radius of these facilities. A need for longitudinal studies on the effect of persistent noise, diesel and related pollution, urban heat production and even EMF radiation needs to be performed so that you can be assured of the safety of your decision to place a data centre within a stone's throw from people’s homes.

Whilst in early stages due to the nature and currency of data centres, , there is still a question around the safety of EMFs from data centres and their related infrastructure as explored in https://ehsciences.org/data-centers-increase-electromagnetic-fields-emf-exposure/. Can you confirm that there will be NO such long term detrimental effects to our children, our elderly, our community?

There are concerns amongst this community that residences in the areas close to this data centre and the potential data centre cluster in Lane Cove Business Park can impact the value of our homes. This is of great concern for me as it is a critical asset for retirement and support for our children. Therefore, I will seek to claim any short term or relative reduction in my property value due to the construction of Data Centres on Mars Rd.

Housing shortage: Given this situation - Australian housing crisis: NSW lags behind on Labor's 1.2 million homes target, and given this area’s proximity to convenient and beautiful surroundings, there may be better uses for this area. I understand this is a stretch argument as it will involve our local council and the property owners, but they may be amenable to repurposing this land and its surrounds for residential use. It’s the right thing to do.

This project is categorised under “ Data Storage” which projects a somewhat benign development. Whilst data storage is certainly key, it is the “compute” function that consumes significant processing power and speed.
What is a Data Centre?
From “Amazon”: Enterprise data center infrastructure falls into three broad categories:
Compute
Storage
Network
and includes support infrastructure like power systems, which help the main equipment function effectively.
Therefore, re-catagorisation of Data Centres to be more accurate will be most welcome.

There should be a definitive standard on how far a data centre should be from residential properties. Until this is determined via independent and scientific studies, we need to cease approving Data Centres near/in residential areas! The fast and unsupported approval of data centres will not garner our confidence in the current state government.

Summary
In conclusion, there is no place for Project Mars in our neighbourhood. Its impact is overall negative for the community, the environment and most of all its people. We are a strong voting concern and we want the right government decisions from the right government. Please consider all of our concerns and objections in your assessment of Goodeman’s SSD proposal. We do not want or need it here. It has zero and in fact negative benefit to our community, people and precious environment.

Yours sincerely,
Irene Chin
Lane Cove West resident

As a local resident and grandparent, I think carefully about the kind of neighbourhood my grandchildren will grow up in, and this proposal does not align with what I would consider a suitable residential environment.

This is a large, industrial-scale facility being placed very close to homes and a primary school. The number of diesel generators and the acknowledgment that pollution limits may be exceeded, even if only at certain times, is difficult to accept in such close proximity to where families live.

There is also the issue of constant operation. A development that runs day and night will bring ongoing noise and activity into what is currently a relatively quiet residential area. This isn’t just about short-term inconvenience — it fundamentally changes the character of the neighbourhood and reduces the standard of living for residents.

The environmental impacts also cannot be ignored. High water usage, tree removal, and potential contamination issues suggest that the long-term consequences have not been fully resolved.

When weighing this against the limited community benefit, particularly the low number of permanent jobs, the proposal does not appear justified.

Overall, this development introduces unacceptable impacts to both residential amenity and community wellbeing. I object to the proposal.

I live locally and have a young child who will likely attend Lane Cove West Public School, so this proposal is very concerning to me.
The site is only about 160 metres from the school, yet there’s no proper assessment of what this means for children. The number of diesel generators planned (49 in total) and the admission that nitrogen dioxide limits could be exceeded in emergencies is alarming. It’s hard to understand how this is considered acceptable so close to a primary school. On top of that, there’s no clear commitment to monitor air quality during testing.

Noise is another issue. The development will operate 24/7, and constant background noise is known to affect children’s learning and concentration. I couldn’t find anything in the EIS that specifically looks at the impact on the school during class hours.
There are also unanswered questions about electromagnetic fields, which were raised in consultation but don’t seem to have been properly investigated.

Beyond that, the water use is excessive, especially given there’s no firm commitment to recycled water. The scale of consumption just doesn’t sit right given ongoing water pressures.

The height of the building is also well above what’s normally allowed. It feels like the rules are being bent to suit the project, rather than the other way around.

Finally, for such a large and expensive development, the number of permanent jobs is surprisingly low, and there doesn’t seem to be much in return for the community.

Overall, I don’t believe this project is appropriate for this location, particularly given how close it is to a school. I am also very concerned that this proposal presents an unacceptable risk to the health of children and families living nearby. This facility will operate continuously, meaning ongoing exposure to noise, emissions and industrial activity — not occasionally, but every day and night.

For young children, particularly during early development and school years, this level of exposure is not appropriate and should not be considered acceptable.

It also raises a simple question — would those making this decision be comfortable having their own children live and go to school next to a development like this? If not, then it is difficult to understand why this would be acceptable for this community.

Attachment covers my objection to Project Mars Data Centre (12 Mars Road) regarding unacceptable acoustic Impacts and Loss of Residential Amenity.

RE: PLEASE DON'T BUILD THE DATA CENTRE AT 12 MARS ROAD
To the people in charge of planning,I object to the big data centre you want to build at 12 Mars Road. I am 10 years old and I go to school nearby. I am really worried about what this will do to my home and my future.My School and Learning: You want to build this for three years. That is half of my whole time at primary school! I don’t understand how I’m supposed to learn or listen to my teacher if there are loud trucks and construction noise right next to us every single day. It’s not fair that my education has to suffer for a giant building.The Scary Noise: I read that this building will be 33 metres tall and run 24 hours a day. My parents told me there will be a constant "hum" from the machines. I am scared I won’t be able to sleep properly at night, and I’m worried about the animals in the park and by the river. They need quiet too.The Air we Breathe: Having so many diesel generators in one spot makes me feel unsafe. We are just kids, and we should be able to play at the park and run around at school without breathing in dirty air from a "cluster" of these buildings.Our Trees and Water: It makes me sad that you might cut down trees and take away our green spaces for this. We also have lots of power outages here already. If this huge building takes all the water and power, what happens to our houses? It feels like Goodman is trying to sneak this through without really talking to the kids and families who live here.Please think about us kids. We are the ones who have to live with this forever. Please say no to this project.

Do not want data centre in Lane cove due to impact of noise on us citizens as well as impact of their water and electrical demands.

Our Scout Hall forms part of the Sports Building next to the synthetic fields at Blackman Park. The Cub Scouts, Scouts & Venturer Scouts all use different parts of the park and surrounding bushland for twilight and night-time outdoor activities. These are often designed to include themes like stalking, tracking, flag raiding or message carrying across large natural areas, testing patrols' initiative. Constant noise levels from the proposed facility will affect these type of games both day & night.
Part of the Scout Law is to care for the environment: this project would have a major effect on the wildlife that uses the buffer zone between the eastern end of the proposed development and bordering the Council Nursery and the edge of the park where our old Scout Hall was located (the Toilet Block still exists for the use of Nursery volunteers). Wildlife would be affected both during the construction phase with the loss of trees, noise, heat & dust & the long term constant humming noise would be detrimental to all the wildlife in the surrounding bush.
Some of the trees proposed to be removed can be replanted, but will the wildlife come back? Are the replacement trees selected compatible with the current environment?
Part of the framework of the Australian Scouts' program follows the World Scout Organizations seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
SDG11- Sustainable Cities & Communities asks the Scouts to look at minimising environmental impact by prioritising sustainable urban planning & community engagement, so that new projects will be safe for everyone. This proposal will impact significantly on the environment with the increase in background noise for both wildlife and bushland users. The preliminary noise estimates have no clear explanation of how these figures been obtained, especially as the equipment specifications are not confirmed. The project will have an increased visual dominance as it exceeds current height limits, and it also sits higher in the landscape than the surrounding land.
SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption asks the Scouts to minimise environmental impact and promote resource efficiency. The proposed development with its high water & power usage contravenes this SDG. Why is drinking water being used and then discharged into the drainage system and no recycling used? Will the stormwater system cope with a large scale development. When our Scout Hall was situated near the proposed development, the drainage pit at the rear western corner always overflowed with heavy rainfall making it hard to access the Scout Hall. Has this stormwater drainage been assessed as being able to cope with extra demand?
On environmental and sustainability this proposal fails Scouts' Sustainable Development Goals and will affect the bird and animal life in the surrounding area, and the outdoor ambience will be diminished.
We are also concerned that this proposal is being considered on a stand alone basis, yet there is another data centre proposed further up Mars Road & the existing data centre is being expanded - making a total of three data centres within the Industrial Area. These three combined will place strain on power and water infrastructure, especially with extreme climate events becoming more and more common .
Parking and local traffic around the school and Blackman Park access is already a significant issue not only during the week, but also on Saturdays. This will be exacerbated during the proposed construction phase with construction workers competing for already limited parking, increasing congestion at busy school times. Safety risks for children will also be a concern.

1st Lane Cove Scout Group is opposed to this proposal and asks the Department of Planning & Environment & the Planning Minister to focus on the impact of the location of this project for the residents, the school, the local community and the users of Blackman Park.