State Significant Development
Response to Submissions
Project Mars Data Centre
Lane Cove
Current Status: Response to Submissions
Interact with the stages for their names
- SEARs
- Prepare EIS
- Exhibition
- Collate Submissions
- Response to Submissions
- Assessment
- Recommendation
- Determination
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Construction and 24-hour operation of a data centre, with an overall power consumption of approximately 90 megawatts (MW).
Attachments & Resources
Early Consultation (1)
Notice of Exhibition (1)
Request for SEARs (2)
SEARs (2)
EIS (48)
Response to Submissions (1)
Agency Advice (7)
Submissions
Showing 121 - 140 of 375 submissions
David Cosentino
Object
David Cosentino
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
I object to this application.
I live at 50 Wood Street, on the ridge directly above and east of the proposed site.
I'm writing as a resident, not an acoustic expert, but I'd like the Department to understand what it's actually like to live here — and why the noise assessment for this project doesn't add up from where I'm standing.
OUR HOUSE SITS IN A VALLEY THE MODELLING DOESN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND
Wood Street sits above a valley that runs down to Mars Road. Sound travels up that valley and funnels toward us. It doesn't fade out the way a flat-terrain noise model would predict. On quiet nights we can already hear the industrial activity at the Lane Cove West Business Park from inside our house, with the windows shut. That's before a 90 MW, 24-hour data centre is added to the mix.
Our house is inside the area Lane Cove Council marked in yellow on Figure 32 — the properties it says should be included in extensive acoustic testing. The handful of locations the applicant did test cannot reasonably stand in for every dwelling along this ridge. The topography changes house by house. Ours happens to be one of the ones that catches it.
THE ASSESSMENT LEAVES THE IMPORTANT DETAILS FOR "LATER"
The Noise and Vibration Assessment says on page 33 that the exact mechanical plant specs will be worked out "as the project progresses", and on page 37 that all the plant in the assessment is "indicative" and will be reviewed once tenant requirements are confirmed.
That is not an assessment. That is a promise to do the assessment later, once consent has been granted and once nobody outside the applicant's own team has a say. The things being deferred are exactly the things that will keep me awake at night:
- the substation transformer, and how close it sits to the residential zone
- the air-cooled chillers, generator exhausts and cooling towers
- the acoustic louvres on the western boundary, which look like they'll reflect sound up toward the ridge and back across us.
If the final equipment hasn't been chosen, the impact on my household hasn't been assessed.
SLEEP IS THE REAL ISSUE, AND THE NIGHT-TIME CASE IS WEAK
The NSW Noise Policy for Industry sets sleep disturbance trigger levels at LAeq(15min) 40 dB or RBL + 5 dB, and LAFmax 52 dB or RBL + 15 dB. Those numbers are deliberately low. They come from the World Health Organisation's threshold for adverse health effects from night-time noise — not the level at which people wake up in a panic, but the level at which sleep quality quietly gets worse over years of exposure.
Our corner of Lane Cove West is genuinely quiet at night. That means the background level is low, and the headroom before an industrial source becomes intrusive is small. Table 30 of the assessment doesn't properly list the night-time sources that will be running continuously, and the whole thing is built on assumed mitigation rather than confirmed plant.
Council doesn't support 24-hour operation on this basis. I don't either. If the applicant can't show — with real equipment, not indicative equipment — that the facility won't disturb sleep at the houses on the ridge, then it shouldn't be allowed to run through the night.
LOW-FREQUENCY NOISE IS THE BIT I'M MOST WORRIED ABOUT
This is the part of the assessment I find weakest, and it's the part that actually affects how my family will live in our home.
Data centre plant — chillers, cooling towers, big transformers, generator exhausts — produces a lot of its sound energy at low frequencies. Low-frequency noise travels further than higher-pitched sound, pushes through walls and closed windows far more easily, and isn't well captured by the dB(A) numbers that most of the assessment relies on. A-weighting was designed for speech-range frequencies; it systematically underweights the hum and throb that residents actually feel inside their homes.
The health effects of chronic low-frequency noise are documented: broken sleep even without waking, elevated stress hormones, headaches, trouble concentrating, long-term cardiovascular strain. You don't need the noise to be loud for these effects to bite. You just need it to be there, night after night, while you're trying to sleep. That's the exact profile of a 24/7 data centre seen from a house on a ridge with valley acoustics funnelling the sound upward.
The NSW Noise Policy for Industry has a specific procedure for assessing low-frequency noise, and the EPA has published supporting guidance (including in Acoustics Australia, Vol. 48 No. 2, 2020). The assessment for this project should be showing — in one-third octave bands, not just dB(A) — that the confirmed plant will comply at the nearest homes. It doesn't. Until it does, this application isn't finished.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THIS ONE DATA CENTRE
12 Mars Road is the third data centre in this small precinct. AirTrunk already operates at 1 Sirius Road. Another AirTrunk facility is approved at 3–4 Apollo Place / 87–91 Mars Road. A fourth is in the pipeline at 16–20 Mars Road. All of them are within 600 metres of my home.
Each noise assessment is done in isolation, by the proponent of that particular facility. Once all four are running, the cumulative night-time noise in this valley will be nothing like what any single report has modelled. The people living here will carry the consequences of a process that keeps pretending each data centre is the only one.
WHAT I'M ASKING FOR
I'd like the Department to refuse the application in its current form, or at the very least hold off on determining it until:
- the final mechanical plant is actually selected and properly modelled, not left to "later noise assessments" after consent;
- acoustic testing is extended to the properties in Figure 32 of Council's submission, with measurement at individual dwellings rather than averaged sample points, because the ridge and valley geometry varies house by house;
- a proper low-frequency noise assessment is done under the NSW Noise Policy for Industry, with results shown in one-third octave bands and not just dB(A);
- cumulative night-time noise from all existing, approved and proposed Lane Cove West data centres is modelled together, against the low background level that actually applies here;
- 24-hour operation isn't approved unless and until the applicant can show, with confirmed equipment, that night-time noise (including low-frequency content) won't harm sleep or amenity at Wood Street and the surrounding low-density residential zone.
If the Department approves the project despite all this, I'd ask at a minimum for binding conditions requiring post-commissioning compliance monitoring at homes on the affected ridge — including ours at 50 Wood Street — with enforceable remediation or shutdown obligations if measured levels exceed what was assessed, and with the cost of independent monitoring falling on the proponent, not on the residents.
Digital infrastructure matters. I understand that. I just don't accept that the cost of it should be paid in lost sleep by the households sitting in the valley next to it.
I live at 50 Wood Street, on the ridge directly above and east of the proposed site.
I'm writing as a resident, not an acoustic expert, but I'd like the Department to understand what it's actually like to live here — and why the noise assessment for this project doesn't add up from where I'm standing.
OUR HOUSE SITS IN A VALLEY THE MODELLING DOESN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND
Wood Street sits above a valley that runs down to Mars Road. Sound travels up that valley and funnels toward us. It doesn't fade out the way a flat-terrain noise model would predict. On quiet nights we can already hear the industrial activity at the Lane Cove West Business Park from inside our house, with the windows shut. That's before a 90 MW, 24-hour data centre is added to the mix.
Our house is inside the area Lane Cove Council marked in yellow on Figure 32 — the properties it says should be included in extensive acoustic testing. The handful of locations the applicant did test cannot reasonably stand in for every dwelling along this ridge. The topography changes house by house. Ours happens to be one of the ones that catches it.
THE ASSESSMENT LEAVES THE IMPORTANT DETAILS FOR "LATER"
The Noise and Vibration Assessment says on page 33 that the exact mechanical plant specs will be worked out "as the project progresses", and on page 37 that all the plant in the assessment is "indicative" and will be reviewed once tenant requirements are confirmed.
That is not an assessment. That is a promise to do the assessment later, once consent has been granted and once nobody outside the applicant's own team has a say. The things being deferred are exactly the things that will keep me awake at night:
- the substation transformer, and how close it sits to the residential zone
- the air-cooled chillers, generator exhausts and cooling towers
- the acoustic louvres on the western boundary, which look like they'll reflect sound up toward the ridge and back across us.
If the final equipment hasn't been chosen, the impact on my household hasn't been assessed.
SLEEP IS THE REAL ISSUE, AND THE NIGHT-TIME CASE IS WEAK
The NSW Noise Policy for Industry sets sleep disturbance trigger levels at LAeq(15min) 40 dB or RBL + 5 dB, and LAFmax 52 dB or RBL + 15 dB. Those numbers are deliberately low. They come from the World Health Organisation's threshold for adverse health effects from night-time noise — not the level at which people wake up in a panic, but the level at which sleep quality quietly gets worse over years of exposure.
Our corner of Lane Cove West is genuinely quiet at night. That means the background level is low, and the headroom before an industrial source becomes intrusive is small. Table 30 of the assessment doesn't properly list the night-time sources that will be running continuously, and the whole thing is built on assumed mitigation rather than confirmed plant.
Council doesn't support 24-hour operation on this basis. I don't either. If the applicant can't show — with real equipment, not indicative equipment — that the facility won't disturb sleep at the houses on the ridge, then it shouldn't be allowed to run through the night.
LOW-FREQUENCY NOISE IS THE BIT I'M MOST WORRIED ABOUT
This is the part of the assessment I find weakest, and it's the part that actually affects how my family will live in our home.
Data centre plant — chillers, cooling towers, big transformers, generator exhausts — produces a lot of its sound energy at low frequencies. Low-frequency noise travels further than higher-pitched sound, pushes through walls and closed windows far more easily, and isn't well captured by the dB(A) numbers that most of the assessment relies on. A-weighting was designed for speech-range frequencies; it systematically underweights the hum and throb that residents actually feel inside their homes.
The health effects of chronic low-frequency noise are documented: broken sleep even without waking, elevated stress hormones, headaches, trouble concentrating, long-term cardiovascular strain. You don't need the noise to be loud for these effects to bite. You just need it to be there, night after night, while you're trying to sleep. That's the exact profile of a 24/7 data centre seen from a house on a ridge with valley acoustics funnelling the sound upward.
The NSW Noise Policy for Industry has a specific procedure for assessing low-frequency noise, and the EPA has published supporting guidance (including in Acoustics Australia, Vol. 48 No. 2, 2020). The assessment for this project should be showing — in one-third octave bands, not just dB(A) — that the confirmed plant will comply at the nearest homes. It doesn't. Until it does, this application isn't finished.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THIS ONE DATA CENTRE
12 Mars Road is the third data centre in this small precinct. AirTrunk already operates at 1 Sirius Road. Another AirTrunk facility is approved at 3–4 Apollo Place / 87–91 Mars Road. A fourth is in the pipeline at 16–20 Mars Road. All of them are within 600 metres of my home.
Each noise assessment is done in isolation, by the proponent of that particular facility. Once all four are running, the cumulative night-time noise in this valley will be nothing like what any single report has modelled. The people living here will carry the consequences of a process that keeps pretending each data centre is the only one.
WHAT I'M ASKING FOR
I'd like the Department to refuse the application in its current form, or at the very least hold off on determining it until:
- the final mechanical plant is actually selected and properly modelled, not left to "later noise assessments" after consent;
- acoustic testing is extended to the properties in Figure 32 of Council's submission, with measurement at individual dwellings rather than averaged sample points, because the ridge and valley geometry varies house by house;
- a proper low-frequency noise assessment is done under the NSW Noise Policy for Industry, with results shown in one-third octave bands and not just dB(A);
- cumulative night-time noise from all existing, approved and proposed Lane Cove West data centres is modelled together, against the low background level that actually applies here;
- 24-hour operation isn't approved unless and until the applicant can show, with confirmed equipment, that night-time noise (including low-frequency content) won't harm sleep or amenity at Wood Street and the surrounding low-density residential zone.
If the Department approves the project despite all this, I'd ask at a minimum for binding conditions requiring post-commissioning compliance monitoring at homes on the affected ridge — including ours at 50 Wood Street — with enforceable remediation or shutdown obligations if measured levels exceed what was assessed, and with the cost of independent monitoring falling on the proponent, not on the residents.
Digital infrastructure matters. I understand that. I just don't accept that the cost of it should be paid in lost sleep by the households sitting in the valley next to it.
Attachments
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE NORTH
,
New South Wales
Message
Data centers have a wide range of negative impacts on the environment, and communities that it is built in, including rising electricity prices, noise levels, air pollution, environmental pollution, creating "heat islands", amongst many others. I am categorically opposed to this proposals. It only serves to benefit the billionaire CEO of Goodman, and their shareholders, while the vast majority of the local community suffer their consequences.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
I object to the Project Mars Data Centre due to its unacceptable and irreversible damage to the local neighbourhood. I live very close to the proposed site, and am a frequent user of Blackman Park.
The construction phase is expected to be 34 months, from Mon to Sat. There will be significant noise, dust and vibrations caused to the neighbourhood during this time. Since there has been no assessment of the adequacy of water or electricity supply, such works could further extend the construction period. The Airtrunk site, for example, has caused 18 months of Interflow works that were completely unaccounted for in their EIS. It has caused significant disturbance and distress to local residence, including frequent pollution and noise from the machinery used on roads. Young children have had walk around fumes, drilling noise and heavy machinery to get to and from school.
There will be dust and sediment run off from the construction. There is no proposed mechanism in the EIS to address the run off, which is expected to be significant given the deep excavations involved. The site is next to conservation areas on its Eastern and Southern borders, so the run offs could very well damage those sensitive sites. The noise, vibrations and light would also affect native wildlife such as owls and bats that reside in the conservation zones. There are bush turkeys living in the neighbourhood that seek sanctuary there too, and they would undoubtedly be affected. The volume of dust and noise would also make Blackman Park unsuitable for its current recreational use. Running through dust would involve breathing in lots of it, which is adverse to health. The skatepark would be closed, because dust would make the surface too slippery for use.
During the operational phase, there will be never ending noise 24 hours a day, every single day. This include low frequency sounds that have an impact on health, but have not been assessed in the EIS as such sounds are not within hearing frequencies. This is akin to UV light not being within the visible spectrum yet it has an impact on human health. The expected noise within the hearing range is based on many assumptions and best case scenarios that have not been tested. There is also no mechanism to hold Goodman responsible (such as halting operations) in case such levels are exceeded. The current Airtrunk data centre has constantly exceeded noise levels in the past year, yet nothing has been done about it. There will also be heat generated as part of the operations, which could increase the temperature the surrounding area by several degrees.
The air pollution is another area of significant concern. There are 49 diesel generators proposed to be used on site. These will be tested regularly, expected in the EIS to be 155 hours during the year, and it acknowledged that during this time, despite only testing one group of generators at a time, NO2 levels would exceed legal limits. During emergency use, all generators would be used at the same time, and one would expect the limits to be significantly exceeded. There is no upper limit on the use of the generators during an emergency, and there is no assessment on how significant the impact would be on human health. The report states that it expects emergency situations to be rare, but this is an unfounded assumption given the cumulative demand on electricity by multiple data centres and no plan or indication by Ausgrid on how the demands can be constantly met. Studies have found NO2 to be damaging to health, even with short exposure, and is known to increase mortality. It is also known to cause acid rain, which is also damaging to the environment.
The building proposed significantly exceeds the height limit of 18m. There are conflicting references within the EIS to both 28.3m and 33m. It is extremely visible from Blackman Park, certain houses along Wood Street, and at other angles not depicted in the EIS. Contrary to what the EIS claims, there is a significant visual impact, and overshadows the Council Nursery, which has been an important source of conservation for native plants.
The EIS has not demonstrated that any of the impact proposed by the construction or operation of the Project Mars data centre is acceptable to the neighbourhood given its extreme proximity to homes, LCWPS, Blackman Park and conservation zones. The detriment it will cause to human health, the almost certain fall in value of hundreds of homes exposed to noise and air pollution, far exceeds any potential benefit (which is not apparent in the submission) to the neighbourhood. The only party that obviously stands to gain from this, Goodman, bears none of the significant and adverse effects of this project.
I urge the NSW state to reject this proposal for the protection of local residents and nature. It would be ill advised to approve a major project based on unproven assumptions, with no mechanism to hold the developer accountable should any of the key assumption be breached. It is incredibly unfair to the local residents who will only stand to lose with no compensation. Goodman has many other sits in its portfolio, and it should be asked to explore alternative sites that are away from residential and conservation areas.
The construction phase is expected to be 34 months, from Mon to Sat. There will be significant noise, dust and vibrations caused to the neighbourhood during this time. Since there has been no assessment of the adequacy of water or electricity supply, such works could further extend the construction period. The Airtrunk site, for example, has caused 18 months of Interflow works that were completely unaccounted for in their EIS. It has caused significant disturbance and distress to local residence, including frequent pollution and noise from the machinery used on roads. Young children have had walk around fumes, drilling noise and heavy machinery to get to and from school.
There will be dust and sediment run off from the construction. There is no proposed mechanism in the EIS to address the run off, which is expected to be significant given the deep excavations involved. The site is next to conservation areas on its Eastern and Southern borders, so the run offs could very well damage those sensitive sites. The noise, vibrations and light would also affect native wildlife such as owls and bats that reside in the conservation zones. There are bush turkeys living in the neighbourhood that seek sanctuary there too, and they would undoubtedly be affected. The volume of dust and noise would also make Blackman Park unsuitable for its current recreational use. Running through dust would involve breathing in lots of it, which is adverse to health. The skatepark would be closed, because dust would make the surface too slippery for use.
During the operational phase, there will be never ending noise 24 hours a day, every single day. This include low frequency sounds that have an impact on health, but have not been assessed in the EIS as such sounds are not within hearing frequencies. This is akin to UV light not being within the visible spectrum yet it has an impact on human health. The expected noise within the hearing range is based on many assumptions and best case scenarios that have not been tested. There is also no mechanism to hold Goodman responsible (such as halting operations) in case such levels are exceeded. The current Airtrunk data centre has constantly exceeded noise levels in the past year, yet nothing has been done about it. There will also be heat generated as part of the operations, which could increase the temperature the surrounding area by several degrees.
The air pollution is another area of significant concern. There are 49 diesel generators proposed to be used on site. These will be tested regularly, expected in the EIS to be 155 hours during the year, and it acknowledged that during this time, despite only testing one group of generators at a time, NO2 levels would exceed legal limits. During emergency use, all generators would be used at the same time, and one would expect the limits to be significantly exceeded. There is no upper limit on the use of the generators during an emergency, and there is no assessment on how significant the impact would be on human health. The report states that it expects emergency situations to be rare, but this is an unfounded assumption given the cumulative demand on electricity by multiple data centres and no plan or indication by Ausgrid on how the demands can be constantly met. Studies have found NO2 to be damaging to health, even with short exposure, and is known to increase mortality. It is also known to cause acid rain, which is also damaging to the environment.
The building proposed significantly exceeds the height limit of 18m. There are conflicting references within the EIS to both 28.3m and 33m. It is extremely visible from Blackman Park, certain houses along Wood Street, and at other angles not depicted in the EIS. Contrary to what the EIS claims, there is a significant visual impact, and overshadows the Council Nursery, which has been an important source of conservation for native plants.
The EIS has not demonstrated that any of the impact proposed by the construction or operation of the Project Mars data centre is acceptable to the neighbourhood given its extreme proximity to homes, LCWPS, Blackman Park and conservation zones. The detriment it will cause to human health, the almost certain fall in value of hundreds of homes exposed to noise and air pollution, far exceeds any potential benefit (which is not apparent in the submission) to the neighbourhood. The only party that obviously stands to gain from this, Goodman, bears none of the significant and adverse effects of this project.
I urge the NSW state to reject this proposal for the protection of local residents and nature. It would be ill advised to approve a major project based on unproven assumptions, with no mechanism to hold the developer accountable should any of the key assumption be breached. It is incredibly unfair to the local residents who will only stand to lose with no compensation. Goodman has many other sits in its portfolio, and it should be asked to explore alternative sites that are away from residential and conservation areas.
Max Ioannidis
Object
Max Ioannidis
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
Greetings.
My name is Max, and I am a lifelong resident of the Lane Cove West area. As a local, I have spent thousands of hours enjoying and making use of the facilities and lush, green areas that Lane Cove has to offer, one of the few remaining suburbs close to the Sydney CBD that still remains this way.
I am writing to you to object to this poorly conceived data centre project than is set to negatively impact on our local community. While Lane Cove is a beautiful suburb, it does also some antiquated infrastructure. Rudimentary searches will show the litany of issues our power and water grid experiences. At the time of this window submission, the water mains on Burns Bay Road, merely a few hundred meters from this development, burst and leak tremendously onto our footpaths and main roads. A quick review of our community social media pages will reveal how often we experience black and brownouts, where we go without power. An enormous structure such as this with it's constant taxing resource demands will be certain to exacerbate these problems. Where will the accountability lie when it's promised there will be no impact to the homes literally meters away from it when the water turns brown with no pressure and the power frequently cuts out? Look at the NBN rollout for Lane Cove and the surrounding area as an example. Lane Cove is often last when it comes to infrastructure upgrades, yet somehow, considerations for a data centre in close proximity to a residential area are seemed as viable?
We already experience poor network and internet, poor water and drainage, and frequent electricity issues, how will a structure operating 24/7 constantly using these resources have anything but a negative impact on our community? I don't think there's any party that can advocate for any positive outcome this data centre will bring out suburb.
At what point does the land-clearing exercise reach its limit? The current proposed development dictated that they plan on deforesting over 500 trees and significant bushland adjacent to the facility. Looking further into the requirements for the facility, the justification for such deforestation given by the agency just shows how ill-conceived and community hostile this project is. How this company looks at a suburb renowned for it's greenery and natural parks and elects to build a facility with the intent on destroying more forested land is beyond me and the community. Once this land has been destroyed, do you think that what, in 10, 20, 50 years, they will decide to plant it back? The goalpost for how much of the local environment continues to encroach further and further, how much forested land are these companies allowed to destroy? For what? A a data centre no one in the vicinity, the suburb or surrounding area will gain a single benefit from?
I believe the plan for this facility is rushed and misinformed. I would like the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to seriously consider what should now be clear to them, the massive community outcry in objection to this facility. I have seen the comments or responses made by persons who don't live in the area or shills for the company that are along the lines of "oh well they have to go somewhere" and "oh well, it's always the complaints of I don't want it in my backyard" which are very poor attempts to discount the severity of the impact. Nuclear power plants have to go somewhere. Chemical refineries have to go somewhere. How many of them in Sydney are allowed less than 50m away from peoples homes? How is a facility constantly emitting energy and frequencies like a power plant any different? The long term effects cannot have been studied correctly, as this type of facility hasn't existed long enough to see the full impacts. Who pays the price when in 5-10 years, studies reveal the damage caused? Who will be accountable when the company decides to drastically increase the output in the facility that has already produced tremendous amounts of electronic waste and noise pollution, the people who are long gone and say "sorry, it was them, but it's already been built now?"
I do sincerely hope that the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure will acknowledge that the entirety of Lane Cove is against this development, from the residents, the council and the people who work here, and that there will be zero positive impact this project will have to our beautiful suburb.
-Max
My name is Max, and I am a lifelong resident of the Lane Cove West area. As a local, I have spent thousands of hours enjoying and making use of the facilities and lush, green areas that Lane Cove has to offer, one of the few remaining suburbs close to the Sydney CBD that still remains this way.
I am writing to you to object to this poorly conceived data centre project than is set to negatively impact on our local community. While Lane Cove is a beautiful suburb, it does also some antiquated infrastructure. Rudimentary searches will show the litany of issues our power and water grid experiences. At the time of this window submission, the water mains on Burns Bay Road, merely a few hundred meters from this development, burst and leak tremendously onto our footpaths and main roads. A quick review of our community social media pages will reveal how often we experience black and brownouts, where we go without power. An enormous structure such as this with it's constant taxing resource demands will be certain to exacerbate these problems. Where will the accountability lie when it's promised there will be no impact to the homes literally meters away from it when the water turns brown with no pressure and the power frequently cuts out? Look at the NBN rollout for Lane Cove and the surrounding area as an example. Lane Cove is often last when it comes to infrastructure upgrades, yet somehow, considerations for a data centre in close proximity to a residential area are seemed as viable?
We already experience poor network and internet, poor water and drainage, and frequent electricity issues, how will a structure operating 24/7 constantly using these resources have anything but a negative impact on our community? I don't think there's any party that can advocate for any positive outcome this data centre will bring out suburb.
At what point does the land-clearing exercise reach its limit? The current proposed development dictated that they plan on deforesting over 500 trees and significant bushland adjacent to the facility. Looking further into the requirements for the facility, the justification for such deforestation given by the agency just shows how ill-conceived and community hostile this project is. How this company looks at a suburb renowned for it's greenery and natural parks and elects to build a facility with the intent on destroying more forested land is beyond me and the community. Once this land has been destroyed, do you think that what, in 10, 20, 50 years, they will decide to plant it back? The goalpost for how much of the local environment continues to encroach further and further, how much forested land are these companies allowed to destroy? For what? A a data centre no one in the vicinity, the suburb or surrounding area will gain a single benefit from?
I believe the plan for this facility is rushed and misinformed. I would like the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to seriously consider what should now be clear to them, the massive community outcry in objection to this facility. I have seen the comments or responses made by persons who don't live in the area or shills for the company that are along the lines of "oh well they have to go somewhere" and "oh well, it's always the complaints of I don't want it in my backyard" which are very poor attempts to discount the severity of the impact. Nuclear power plants have to go somewhere. Chemical refineries have to go somewhere. How many of them in Sydney are allowed less than 50m away from peoples homes? How is a facility constantly emitting energy and frequencies like a power plant any different? The long term effects cannot have been studied correctly, as this type of facility hasn't existed long enough to see the full impacts. Who pays the price when in 5-10 years, studies reveal the damage caused? Who will be accountable when the company decides to drastically increase the output in the facility that has already produced tremendous amounts of electronic waste and noise pollution, the people who are long gone and say "sorry, it was them, but it's already been built now?"
I do sincerely hope that the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure will acknowledge that the entirety of Lane Cove is against this development, from the residents, the council and the people who work here, and that there will be zero positive impact this project will have to our beautiful suburb.
-Max
Guy Vissel
Object
Guy Vissel
Object
ST IVES CHASE
,
New South Wales
Message
Government Inquiry into Data Centres
The NSW Legisla ve Council's Public Accountability and Works Commi ee has commenced
an inquiry into data centres in New South Wales. This inquiry, the first of its kind in
Australia, aims to ensure that the State is adequately prepared for the scale and pace of data
centre development.
Key areas of focus include the planning frameworks, electricity demands, grid impacts, water
usage, and environmental impacts on local communi es.
The inquiry will also consider the social and environmental impacts of the rapid growth of
data centres and determine whether there are adequate safeguards in place. The inquiry is
expected to provide a comprehensive report by 30 September 2026 addressing the
concerns raised by the community and stakeholders regarding the development and
regula on of data centres in NSW.
We hope the Inquiry leads to a moratorium un l the findings are finalised andguidelines established and a Planning Instrument established for Data Centres.
planning
Page 4 of 5
Conclusion
This Data Centre applica on should be refused due to the many impacts and issues this
submission has iden fied:
Significant Noise and Diesel par culate and NOx Pollu on and their cumula ve effect
Insufficient informa on on Noise supplied by the applicant
High Demand on Water and Electricity and their Cumula ve effect
Cumula ve Heat and Thermal Load
Loss of 90 trees and its effect on biodiversity on this and combined environmental
footprint of data centres in Lane Cove West
Loss of employment opportuni es in the Lane Cove West Industrial area (noted only
26 employees proposed).
Unacceptable Building Height and Bulk
Impacts on Community Nursery including
o Infringement on required environmental setbacks,
o Impact on solar access and plant propaga on
o Risk to Riparian Health and Stringybark Creek
o Opera onal Hazards: Dust and heat on Nursery and local residences
o Construc on disrup on – three-year construc on and excava on period will
cause prolonged noise and vibra on impacts on the Nursery, local residences
and the local school
Excessive Excava ons of the Development Site threatens to disrupt groundwater
levels and natural drainage, lead to loss of Na ve Habitat
Environmental degrada on
Addi onally
1. Ensure all the informa on not yet provided regarding Noise has been provided by the
applicant and when all the facts are available, be put out again for community
consulta on
2. Adhere to the 18-metre height limit and provide expanded setbacks that respect the
Community Nursery’s vital role in our local environment and protect the line of trees on
the eastern boundary
3. Provide a more robust, independent assessment of the long-term hydrogeological and
ecological impacts of such deep excava on in this sensi ve loca on
4. Take into account the cumula ve effect of impacts from mul ple data centres within a
confined local area.
5. Reduce the number of Data Centres in a confined area to alleviate the cumula ve
impacts on communi es and the environment
Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
For and on behalf of the Community Members of BMAC
Frances Vissel
Vice-Chairperson – Bushland Management Advisory Commi ee
The NSW Legisla ve Council's Public Accountability and Works Commi ee has commenced
an inquiry into data centres in New South Wales. This inquiry, the first of its kind in
Australia, aims to ensure that the State is adequately prepared for the scale and pace of data
centre development.
Key areas of focus include the planning frameworks, electricity demands, grid impacts, water
usage, and environmental impacts on local communi es.
The inquiry will also consider the social and environmental impacts of the rapid growth of
data centres and determine whether there are adequate safeguards in place. The inquiry is
expected to provide a comprehensive report by 30 September 2026 addressing the
concerns raised by the community and stakeholders regarding the development and
regula on of data centres in NSW.
We hope the Inquiry leads to a moratorium un l the findings are finalised andguidelines established and a Planning Instrument established for Data Centres.
planning
Page 4 of 5
Conclusion
This Data Centre applica on should be refused due to the many impacts and issues this
submission has iden fied:
Significant Noise and Diesel par culate and NOx Pollu on and their cumula ve effect
Insufficient informa on on Noise supplied by the applicant
High Demand on Water and Electricity and their Cumula ve effect
Cumula ve Heat and Thermal Load
Loss of 90 trees and its effect on biodiversity on this and combined environmental
footprint of data centres in Lane Cove West
Loss of employment opportuni es in the Lane Cove West Industrial area (noted only
26 employees proposed).
Unacceptable Building Height and Bulk
Impacts on Community Nursery including
o Infringement on required environmental setbacks,
o Impact on solar access and plant propaga on
o Risk to Riparian Health and Stringybark Creek
o Opera onal Hazards: Dust and heat on Nursery and local residences
o Construc on disrup on – three-year construc on and excava on period will
cause prolonged noise and vibra on impacts on the Nursery, local residences
and the local school
Excessive Excava ons of the Development Site threatens to disrupt groundwater
levels and natural drainage, lead to loss of Na ve Habitat
Environmental degrada on
Addi onally
1. Ensure all the informa on not yet provided regarding Noise has been provided by the
applicant and when all the facts are available, be put out again for community
consulta on
2. Adhere to the 18-metre height limit and provide expanded setbacks that respect the
Community Nursery’s vital role in our local environment and protect the line of trees on
the eastern boundary
3. Provide a more robust, independent assessment of the long-term hydrogeological and
ecological impacts of such deep excava on in this sensi ve loca on
4. Take into account the cumula ve effect of impacts from mul ple data centres within a
confined local area.
5. Reduce the number of Data Centres in a confined area to alleviate the cumula ve
impacts on communi es and the environment
Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
For and on behalf of the Community Members of BMAC
Frances Vissel
Vice-Chairperson – Bushland Management Advisory Commi ee
Attachments
Richard Pickton
Object
Richard Pickton
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
This submission objects to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066. The proposal is being assessed as State Significant Development under application SSD-82052708 and involves construction and 24-hour operation of a data centre with overall power consumption of approximately 90 megawatts.
The site may be within industrial land, but that does not make this proposal appropriate in planning terms. Available reporting indicates that 12 Mars Road directly adjoins or sits in close proximity to low-rise residential areas, Blackman Park and environmental land, which means the impacts of a large-scale, always-on facility will be experienced well beyond the site boundaries. The assessment should therefore focus not only on the use of the site itself, but on the cumulative and off-site consequences for surrounding residents, public open space and the broader Lane Cove.
A hyperscale data centre is not a neutral warehouse-style use. It is an intensive, highly serviced, industrial-form facility operating continuously, day and night. That is fundamentally different from ordinary business park development and creates a real risk of permanent amenity impacts for nearby residents through mechanical plant noise, backup generator testing, service activity, lighting and visual bulk.
Lane Cove West is not an isolated industrial precinct with no sensitive neighbours. It is a mixed area where employment lands sit alongside homes, recreation areas and bushland interfaces. A development of this scale should not be approved unless the State is satisfied that residential amenity will be protected to a very high standard, and the currently known details do not provide confidence that this can be achieved.
This proposal cannot be assessed in a vacuum. Reporting on current and planned facilities indicates Lane Cove West already has multiple data centres built, approved or in planning, including existing and proposed AirTrunk facilities, Goodman's 12 Mars Road proposal and another proposal at 16–20 Mars Road. That pattern points to an accelerating concentration of energy-intensive digital infrastructure in one precinct, with cumulative implications for noise, construction disruption, utility upgrades, traffic movements and the industrialisation of the area.
Residents are already reported to be experiencing disruption associated with data-centre-related works, including trenching and utility upgrades. Before any approval is granted at 12 Mars Road, the Department should require a rigorous cumulative impact assessment addressing the combined effect of existing, approved and proposed facilities across Lane Cove West, rather than considering Project Mars as though it were a standalone development.
The proposed facility's approximate 90 MW power demand is extraordinary in the context of a suburban business park. A development with this level of continuous energy demand inevitably raises questions about electricity network capacity, resilience, emissions consequences and whether scarce infrastructure should be prioritised for this land use in this location.
Public reporting has also highlighted concerns about water use, runoff and impacts on surrounding land and bushland interfaces. At minimum, the Department should require transparent, publicly testable evidence on power supply arrangements, cooling methodology, water demand, stormwater management and emergency backup systems before any consent is contemplated.
Even if operational staffing is relatively low, the construction phase for a project of this scale will not be minor. Demolition, excavation, heavy vehicle access, plant delivery and supporting infrastructure works have the potential to place substantial pressure on local roads and nearby public spaces. Those impacts matter acutely in Lane Cove West, where industrial streets are closely connected to residential routes and community facilities.
The Department should also consider the precedent being set. Approving another major data centre at 12 Mars Road would further entrench the transformation of Lane Cove West into a high-impact utility and digital infrastructure corridor without a clear, publicly debated strategic framework for that outcome.
For these reasons, the application for the Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 should be refused. If the Department is not minded to refuse the application now, it should at minimum defer any determination until a full cumulative impact assessment, detailed amenity analysis, infrastructure capacity review and meaningful community consultation have been completed and publicly exhibited.
The State should not permit an incremental planning outcome in which multiple hyperscale data centres are concentrated near homes, bushland and recreation areas simply because each proposal is assessed separately. A more suitable location for infrastructure of this intensity would be a precinct deliberately planned for heavy digital or utility uses, with greater separation from residential and environmental interfaces. I am a local resident that backs directly onto the proposed data centre and this will drastically reduce our property price.
The site may be within industrial land, but that does not make this proposal appropriate in planning terms. Available reporting indicates that 12 Mars Road directly adjoins or sits in close proximity to low-rise residential areas, Blackman Park and environmental land, which means the impacts of a large-scale, always-on facility will be experienced well beyond the site boundaries. The assessment should therefore focus not only on the use of the site itself, but on the cumulative and off-site consequences for surrounding residents, public open space and the broader Lane Cove.
A hyperscale data centre is not a neutral warehouse-style use. It is an intensive, highly serviced, industrial-form facility operating continuously, day and night. That is fundamentally different from ordinary business park development and creates a real risk of permanent amenity impacts for nearby residents through mechanical plant noise, backup generator testing, service activity, lighting and visual bulk.
Lane Cove West is not an isolated industrial precinct with no sensitive neighbours. It is a mixed area where employment lands sit alongside homes, recreation areas and bushland interfaces. A development of this scale should not be approved unless the State is satisfied that residential amenity will be protected to a very high standard, and the currently known details do not provide confidence that this can be achieved.
This proposal cannot be assessed in a vacuum. Reporting on current and planned facilities indicates Lane Cove West already has multiple data centres built, approved or in planning, including existing and proposed AirTrunk facilities, Goodman's 12 Mars Road proposal and another proposal at 16–20 Mars Road. That pattern points to an accelerating concentration of energy-intensive digital infrastructure in one precinct, with cumulative implications for noise, construction disruption, utility upgrades, traffic movements and the industrialisation of the area.
Residents are already reported to be experiencing disruption associated with data-centre-related works, including trenching and utility upgrades. Before any approval is granted at 12 Mars Road, the Department should require a rigorous cumulative impact assessment addressing the combined effect of existing, approved and proposed facilities across Lane Cove West, rather than considering Project Mars as though it were a standalone development.
The proposed facility's approximate 90 MW power demand is extraordinary in the context of a suburban business park. A development with this level of continuous energy demand inevitably raises questions about electricity network capacity, resilience, emissions consequences and whether scarce infrastructure should be prioritised for this land use in this location.
Public reporting has also highlighted concerns about water use, runoff and impacts on surrounding land and bushland interfaces. At minimum, the Department should require transparent, publicly testable evidence on power supply arrangements, cooling methodology, water demand, stormwater management and emergency backup systems before any consent is contemplated.
Even if operational staffing is relatively low, the construction phase for a project of this scale will not be minor. Demolition, excavation, heavy vehicle access, plant delivery and supporting infrastructure works have the potential to place substantial pressure on local roads and nearby public spaces. Those impacts matter acutely in Lane Cove West, where industrial streets are closely connected to residential routes and community facilities.
The Department should also consider the precedent being set. Approving another major data centre at 12 Mars Road would further entrench the transformation of Lane Cove West into a high-impact utility and digital infrastructure corridor without a clear, publicly debated strategic framework for that outcome.
For these reasons, the application for the Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 should be refused. If the Department is not minded to refuse the application now, it should at minimum defer any determination until a full cumulative impact assessment, detailed amenity analysis, infrastructure capacity review and meaningful community consultation have been completed and publicly exhibited.
The State should not permit an incremental planning outcome in which multiple hyperscale data centres are concentrated near homes, bushland and recreation areas simply because each proposal is assessed separately. A more suitable location for infrastructure of this intensity would be a precinct deliberately planned for heavy digital or utility uses, with greater separation from residential and environmental interfaces. I am a local resident that backs directly onto the proposed data centre and this will drastically reduce our property price.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
Submission objecting to Project Mars Data Centre
12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066
To the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure,
I make this submission to object to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066. The proposal is being assessed as State Significant Development (SSD‑82052708) and involves the construction and 24‑hour operation of a hyperscale data centre with an estimated power demand of approximately 90 megawatts.
While the site is located within a light industrial zone, that designation alone does not render the proposal appropriate in planning terms. Publicly available information indicates that the site directly adjoins, or is in close proximity to, low‑rise residential neighbourhoods, Lane Cove West Public School, Blackman Park Sporting Facility and environmentally sensitive land. As a result, the impacts of a facility of this scale and intensity would inevitably extend well beyond the site boundary. Any assessment must therefore consider not only on‑site compliance, but also the broader, cumulative and off‑site impacts on surrounding residents, community facilities, public open space and the wider Lane Cove area.
A hyperscale data centre cannot be characterised as a benign, warehouse‑style land use. It is a highly serviced, industrial‑form development operating continuously, day and night, and reliant on extensive mechanical plant, cooling infrastructure, backup generation and servicing. This is fundamentally different from conventional business‑park development and creates a significant risk of permanent amenity impacts, including mechanical noise, generator testing, service vehicle movements, lighting spill and visual bulk, for nearby residents and users of surrounding facilities.
Lane Cove West is not an isolated industrial precinct. It is a mixed‑use area where employment lands exist alongside homes, schools, sporting facilities and bushland interfaces. Introducing another hyperscale data centre of this magnitude into such a context is inconsistent with orderly and appropriate land‑use planning and should not be supported.
This proposal must also be considered within its cumulative context. Current reporting indicates that Lane Cove West already accommodates multiple data centres that are operational, approved or proposed, including existing and planned AirTrunk facilities, Goodman’s proposal at 12 Mars Road and a further proposal at 16–20 Mars Road. This trend reflects an accelerating concentration of energy‑intensive digital infrastructure within a single suburban precinct, with collective implications for noise levels, construction disruption, traffic generation, utility upgrades and the progressive industrialisation of the area.
Residents have already reported disruption associated with data‑centre‑related works, including trenching and electricity infrastructure upgrades. Before any additional approval is contemplated at 12 Mars Road, the Department should require a comprehensive cumulative impact assessment that considers the combined effect of all existing, approved and proposed data centres in Lane Cove West, rather than assessing Project Mars in isolation.
The proposed facility’s approximate 90‑megawatt power demand is extraordinary in the context of a suburban business and industrial area. Such a level of continuous energy consumption raises serious questions regarding electricity network capacity, reliability, emissions impacts and whether scarce infrastructure resources should be prioritised for this use in this location.
Concerns have also been raised publicly about water consumption, stormwater runoff and impacts on surrounding land and nearby bushland. At a minimum, prior to any approval, the Department should require transparent and publicly verifiable information on power supply arrangements, cooling technology, water demand, stormwater management, emissions and emergency backup systems.
While operational staffing levels may be relatively low, the construction phase of a project of this scale will be substantial. Demolition, excavation, heavy vehicle movements, major plant installation and associated infrastructure works are likely to place significant pressure on local roads and surrounding public spaces. In Lane Cove West, where industrial streets are closely connected to residential areas and community facilities, these impacts are particularly acute and should not be dismissed.
The Department should also consider the planning precedent this proposal would establish. Approval of another major data centre at 12 Mars Road would further entrench the transformation of Lane Cove West into a high‑impact digital and utility infrastructure corridor, without any comprehensive, publicly debated strategic framework to justify or guide such an outcome.
For these reasons, the application for the Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 should be refused.
The State should not allow an incremental planning outcome in which multiple hyperscale data centres are clustered near homes, schools, bushland and recreation areas simply because each proposal is assessed individually. Infrastructure of this intensity should instead be directed to precincts deliberately planned for heavy digital or utility uses, with appropriate separation from residential communities and sensitive environmental areas.
Lane Cove has recently been recognised as one of Sydney’s most liveable suburbs; however, the unchecked expansion and clustering of large‑scale data centres in the area risks eroding the very qualities that earned this accolade and undermining long‑term residential amenity and liveability.
12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066
To the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure,
I make this submission to object to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066. The proposal is being assessed as State Significant Development (SSD‑82052708) and involves the construction and 24‑hour operation of a hyperscale data centre with an estimated power demand of approximately 90 megawatts.
While the site is located within a light industrial zone, that designation alone does not render the proposal appropriate in planning terms. Publicly available information indicates that the site directly adjoins, or is in close proximity to, low‑rise residential neighbourhoods, Lane Cove West Public School, Blackman Park Sporting Facility and environmentally sensitive land. As a result, the impacts of a facility of this scale and intensity would inevitably extend well beyond the site boundary. Any assessment must therefore consider not only on‑site compliance, but also the broader, cumulative and off‑site impacts on surrounding residents, community facilities, public open space and the wider Lane Cove area.
A hyperscale data centre cannot be characterised as a benign, warehouse‑style land use. It is a highly serviced, industrial‑form development operating continuously, day and night, and reliant on extensive mechanical plant, cooling infrastructure, backup generation and servicing. This is fundamentally different from conventional business‑park development and creates a significant risk of permanent amenity impacts, including mechanical noise, generator testing, service vehicle movements, lighting spill and visual bulk, for nearby residents and users of surrounding facilities.
Lane Cove West is not an isolated industrial precinct. It is a mixed‑use area where employment lands exist alongside homes, schools, sporting facilities and bushland interfaces. Introducing another hyperscale data centre of this magnitude into such a context is inconsistent with orderly and appropriate land‑use planning and should not be supported.
This proposal must also be considered within its cumulative context. Current reporting indicates that Lane Cove West already accommodates multiple data centres that are operational, approved or proposed, including existing and planned AirTrunk facilities, Goodman’s proposal at 12 Mars Road and a further proposal at 16–20 Mars Road. This trend reflects an accelerating concentration of energy‑intensive digital infrastructure within a single suburban precinct, with collective implications for noise levels, construction disruption, traffic generation, utility upgrades and the progressive industrialisation of the area.
Residents have already reported disruption associated with data‑centre‑related works, including trenching and electricity infrastructure upgrades. Before any additional approval is contemplated at 12 Mars Road, the Department should require a comprehensive cumulative impact assessment that considers the combined effect of all existing, approved and proposed data centres in Lane Cove West, rather than assessing Project Mars in isolation.
The proposed facility’s approximate 90‑megawatt power demand is extraordinary in the context of a suburban business and industrial area. Such a level of continuous energy consumption raises serious questions regarding electricity network capacity, reliability, emissions impacts and whether scarce infrastructure resources should be prioritised for this use in this location.
Concerns have also been raised publicly about water consumption, stormwater runoff and impacts on surrounding land and nearby bushland. At a minimum, prior to any approval, the Department should require transparent and publicly verifiable information on power supply arrangements, cooling technology, water demand, stormwater management, emissions and emergency backup systems.
While operational staffing levels may be relatively low, the construction phase of a project of this scale will be substantial. Demolition, excavation, heavy vehicle movements, major plant installation and associated infrastructure works are likely to place significant pressure on local roads and surrounding public spaces. In Lane Cove West, where industrial streets are closely connected to residential areas and community facilities, these impacts are particularly acute and should not be dismissed.
The Department should also consider the planning precedent this proposal would establish. Approval of another major data centre at 12 Mars Road would further entrench the transformation of Lane Cove West into a high‑impact digital and utility infrastructure corridor, without any comprehensive, publicly debated strategic framework to justify or guide such an outcome.
For these reasons, the application for the Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 should be refused.
The State should not allow an incremental planning outcome in which multiple hyperscale data centres are clustered near homes, schools, bushland and recreation areas simply because each proposal is assessed individually. Infrastructure of this intensity should instead be directed to precincts deliberately planned for heavy digital or utility uses, with appropriate separation from residential communities and sensitive environmental areas.
Lane Cove has recently been recognised as one of Sydney’s most liveable suburbs; however, the unchecked expansion and clustering of large‑scale data centres in the area risks eroding the very qualities that earned this accolade and undermining long‑term residential amenity and liveability.
Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society Inc
Object
Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society Inc
Object
NORTHWOOD
,
New South Wales
Message
The Lane Cove Bushland & Conservation Society, Inc. (LCBCS), established in 1971, is an independent, non-aligned, community group that advocates for Lane Cove bushland. We object to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre development at 12 Mars Rd, Lane Cove West on the following grounds:
- Soil and Erosion Controls
- Building Height Exceedance
- Community Nursery Overshadowing
- Tree Protection Zone Inaccuracy
- Resource Consumption and Hazards.
Please refer to the attached objection letter as our formal submission.
- Soil and Erosion Controls
- Building Height Exceedance
- Community Nursery Overshadowing
- Tree Protection Zone Inaccuracy
- Resource Consumption and Hazards.
Please refer to the attached objection letter as our formal submission.
Attachments
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
To Whom It May Concern,
I strongly and formally object to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.
This objection is made having regard to the relevant matters for consideration under Section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, including the likely impacts of the development, its suitability for the site, the public interest, and the provisions and objectives of applicable planning instruments.
I am a resident of Hallam Avenue and will be directly impacted by this development. I strongly oppose the proposal on the basis that it is fundamentally incompatible with its location and represents an unacceptable planning outcome.
Summary of Key Grounds for Refusal
This application should be refused for the following reasons:
• The proposal places large-scale, 24/7 industrial infrastructure in immediate proximity to residential and community uses, without appropriate separation or buffering
• It fails to meet the objectives of the E4 General Industrial zoning, particularly in minimising impacts on adjoining residential land
• It represents a clear and unjustified departure from the intended planning outcomes for the Lane Cove West Business Park
• It will result in unacceptable impacts in relation to noise, low-frequency sound, air quality and residential amenity
• It relies on uncertain and incomplete design information, with key impacts deferred to post-approval stages
• It fails to adequately consider cumulative impacts arising from multiple data centre developments in the same precinct
• It creates significant and prolonged construction impacts on an established residential community
Each of these issues, individually and collectively, weighs strongly against approval.
Strategic and legal planning considerations (Clause 4.6 and merit)
The proposal raises serious concerns from a statutory planning perspective.
The application seeks to vary the development standard for building height under Clause 4.3 of the Lane Cove Local Environmental Plan through a Clause 4.6 variation. That variation must demonstrate that:
• There are sufficient environmental planning grounds to justify the contravention
• The development is in the public interest
• The objectives of the development standard are achieved notwithstanding the variation
This proposal fails on all three fronts.
The justification for the increased height appears to be driven by commercial requirements associated with hyperscale data centre users. This is not an environmental planning ground and does not relate to the objectives of the height standard, which concern built form, amenity, solar access, privacy and contextual integration.
The variation also concentrates the greatest height impacts at the most sensitive interface, directly adjoining residential land and community uses. This is contrary to the intent of the control.
More broadly, the proposal lacks strategic merit. It represents a significant intensification of land use that has not been subject to any coherent strategic planning process, particularly in relation to the clustering of data centres and their cumulative impacts on surrounding communities and infrastructure.
In the absence of strategic justification, the proposal should not be supported.
Inappropriate proximity to residential and community uses
The proposed development is located extremely close to sensitive receivers, with residential properties within approximately 50 metres. It is also in close proximity to:
• Lane Cove West Public School
• Childcare and early learning facilities
• Lane Cove Community Nursery
• Blackman Park and surrounding public open space
This level of proximity is wholly inappropriate for a large-scale, continuously operating industrial facility.
Planning frameworks consistently recognise the need to separate intensive industrial uses from residential and community uses through appropriate buffer distances. This proposal does the opposite.
This fails because the development does not provide adequate separation, mitigation or protection for nearby sensitive receivers. The impacts are not incidental, they are inherent to the operation of the facility.
Failure to satisfy E4 General Industrial zoning objectives
While the site is zoned E4 General Industrial, permissibility does not equate to suitability.
The objectives of the E4 zone include:
• Minimising adverse effects of industry on other land uses
• Recognising the close proximity to residential areas
• Mitigating potential conflict between industrial and residential uses
• Ensuring appropriate landscape and visual outcomes
This proposal fails to satisfy these objectives.
It introduces a high-intensity, 24/7 industrial use directly adjacent to residential land without meaningful buffering. It does not minimise impacts, it concentrates them. It does not mitigate conflict, it creates it.
Departure from intended planning outcomes
The Lane Cove West Business Park was not designed or intended to accommodate hyperscale data centre infrastructure of this nature.
This proposal introduces:
• Continuous 24-hour operations
• Large-scale mechanical plant and cooling systems
• Significant energy and water demand
• Regular operation of backup diesel generators
• Substantial built form and industrial bulk
This represents a material escalation in land use intensity.
This fails because it fundamentally alters the function and character of the precinct without any supporting strategic planning framework.
Noise, low-frequency impacts and amenity
The proposal will introduce continuous industrial noise into a quiet residential environment.
Low-frequency and tonal noise from plant and cooling systems will travel further, penetrate buildings and persist as a constant background hum. These impacts are not adequately addressed by standard noise metrics.
This fails because compliance with dB(A) limits does not equate to acceptable residential amenity, particularly for a 24/7 facility.
Air quality and public health impacts
The proposal includes extensive diesel generation, producing emissions harmful to human health.
This fails because it places a source of industrial emissions directly adjacent to homes, schools and childcare facilities without appropriate separation or demonstrated mitigation.
Cumulative impacts and lack of strategic planning
Multiple data centre developments are proposed within the same precinct.
This fails because cumulative impacts on infrastructure, amenity and environmental quality have not been adequately addressed, and there is no clear strategic framework guiding this level of clustering.
Reliability and completeness of the Environmental Impact Statement
Key elements of the proposal are inconsistent or deferred.
This fails because decision-makers are being asked to approve a development without a clear and consistent understanding of its final impacts.
Construction impacts
Construction will be prolonged and disruptive.
This fails because these impacts are significant and extend over years, materially affecting nearby residents.
Conclusion
Residents should not be expected to absorb the impacts of industrial-scale infrastructure at their doorstep, particularly where those impacts arise from a development that is fundamentally incompatible with its location.
The Project Mars Data Centre is fundamentally incompatible with its location. It places intensive industrial infrastructure directly alongside homes, schools and community facilities and represents a clear and unjustified departure from the intended planning outcomes for the precinct. The resulting impacts on amenity, health and long-term planning integrity are unacceptable. The proposal should not be approved and must be refused.
I strongly and formally object to the proposed Project Mars Data Centre at 12 Mars Road, Lane Cove West.
This objection is made having regard to the relevant matters for consideration under Section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, including the likely impacts of the development, its suitability for the site, the public interest, and the provisions and objectives of applicable planning instruments.
I am a resident of Hallam Avenue and will be directly impacted by this development. I strongly oppose the proposal on the basis that it is fundamentally incompatible with its location and represents an unacceptable planning outcome.
Summary of Key Grounds for Refusal
This application should be refused for the following reasons:
• The proposal places large-scale, 24/7 industrial infrastructure in immediate proximity to residential and community uses, without appropriate separation or buffering
• It fails to meet the objectives of the E4 General Industrial zoning, particularly in minimising impacts on adjoining residential land
• It represents a clear and unjustified departure from the intended planning outcomes for the Lane Cove West Business Park
• It will result in unacceptable impacts in relation to noise, low-frequency sound, air quality and residential amenity
• It relies on uncertain and incomplete design information, with key impacts deferred to post-approval stages
• It fails to adequately consider cumulative impacts arising from multiple data centre developments in the same precinct
• It creates significant and prolonged construction impacts on an established residential community
Each of these issues, individually and collectively, weighs strongly against approval.
Strategic and legal planning considerations (Clause 4.6 and merit)
The proposal raises serious concerns from a statutory planning perspective.
The application seeks to vary the development standard for building height under Clause 4.3 of the Lane Cove Local Environmental Plan through a Clause 4.6 variation. That variation must demonstrate that:
• There are sufficient environmental planning grounds to justify the contravention
• The development is in the public interest
• The objectives of the development standard are achieved notwithstanding the variation
This proposal fails on all three fronts.
The justification for the increased height appears to be driven by commercial requirements associated with hyperscale data centre users. This is not an environmental planning ground and does not relate to the objectives of the height standard, which concern built form, amenity, solar access, privacy and contextual integration.
The variation also concentrates the greatest height impacts at the most sensitive interface, directly adjoining residential land and community uses. This is contrary to the intent of the control.
More broadly, the proposal lacks strategic merit. It represents a significant intensification of land use that has not been subject to any coherent strategic planning process, particularly in relation to the clustering of data centres and their cumulative impacts on surrounding communities and infrastructure.
In the absence of strategic justification, the proposal should not be supported.
Inappropriate proximity to residential and community uses
The proposed development is located extremely close to sensitive receivers, with residential properties within approximately 50 metres. It is also in close proximity to:
• Lane Cove West Public School
• Childcare and early learning facilities
• Lane Cove Community Nursery
• Blackman Park and surrounding public open space
This level of proximity is wholly inappropriate for a large-scale, continuously operating industrial facility.
Planning frameworks consistently recognise the need to separate intensive industrial uses from residential and community uses through appropriate buffer distances. This proposal does the opposite.
This fails because the development does not provide adequate separation, mitigation or protection for nearby sensitive receivers. The impacts are not incidental, they are inherent to the operation of the facility.
Failure to satisfy E4 General Industrial zoning objectives
While the site is zoned E4 General Industrial, permissibility does not equate to suitability.
The objectives of the E4 zone include:
• Minimising adverse effects of industry on other land uses
• Recognising the close proximity to residential areas
• Mitigating potential conflict between industrial and residential uses
• Ensuring appropriate landscape and visual outcomes
This proposal fails to satisfy these objectives.
It introduces a high-intensity, 24/7 industrial use directly adjacent to residential land without meaningful buffering. It does not minimise impacts, it concentrates them. It does not mitigate conflict, it creates it.
Departure from intended planning outcomes
The Lane Cove West Business Park was not designed or intended to accommodate hyperscale data centre infrastructure of this nature.
This proposal introduces:
• Continuous 24-hour operations
• Large-scale mechanical plant and cooling systems
• Significant energy and water demand
• Regular operation of backup diesel generators
• Substantial built form and industrial bulk
This represents a material escalation in land use intensity.
This fails because it fundamentally alters the function and character of the precinct without any supporting strategic planning framework.
Noise, low-frequency impacts and amenity
The proposal will introduce continuous industrial noise into a quiet residential environment.
Low-frequency and tonal noise from plant and cooling systems will travel further, penetrate buildings and persist as a constant background hum. These impacts are not adequately addressed by standard noise metrics.
This fails because compliance with dB(A) limits does not equate to acceptable residential amenity, particularly for a 24/7 facility.
Air quality and public health impacts
The proposal includes extensive diesel generation, producing emissions harmful to human health.
This fails because it places a source of industrial emissions directly adjacent to homes, schools and childcare facilities without appropriate separation or demonstrated mitigation.
Cumulative impacts and lack of strategic planning
Multiple data centre developments are proposed within the same precinct.
This fails because cumulative impacts on infrastructure, amenity and environmental quality have not been adequately addressed, and there is no clear strategic framework guiding this level of clustering.
Reliability and completeness of the Environmental Impact Statement
Key elements of the proposal are inconsistent or deferred.
This fails because decision-makers are being asked to approve a development without a clear and consistent understanding of its final impacts.
Construction impacts
Construction will be prolonged and disruptive.
This fails because these impacts are significant and extend over years, materially affecting nearby residents.
Conclusion
Residents should not be expected to absorb the impacts of industrial-scale infrastructure at their doorstep, particularly where those impacts arise from a development that is fundamentally incompatible with its location.
The Project Mars Data Centre is fundamentally incompatible with its location. It places intensive industrial infrastructure directly alongside homes, schools and community facilities and represents a clear and unjustified departure from the intended planning outcomes for the precinct. The resulting impacts on amenity, health and long-term planning integrity are unacceptable. The proposal should not be approved and must be refused.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
Lane Cove West
,
New South Wales
Message
As a resident of the local area and a grandparent of a young child who is expected to attend Lane Cove West Public School, I am increasingly concerned about the appropriateness of this proposal in what is fundamentally a residential and family-oriented area.
The proximity of this development — approximately 160 metres from both homes and a primary school — raises serious concerns that have not been adequately addressed. The scale of the proposed diesel generator infrastructure is particularly troubling. The EIS acknowledges the potential for air quality exceedances under certain conditions, yet there is no clear, enforceable framework to ensure that nearby residents and children are protected from this risk.
Equally concerning is the introduction of continuous industrial noise into a predominantly residential environment. A facility operating 24 hours a day will inevitably alter the character of the area, impacting not only the school environment but also the day-to-day livability of surrounding homes. Constant background noise, even at compliant levels, can degrade quality of life over time.
In addition, the proposal raises broader environmental concerns, including significant water consumption, removal of established trees, and unresolved contamination risks. These are long-term issues that will affect not only current residents but future generations.
When considered together, these impacts represent a fundamental mismatch between the scale and nature of the development and its location.
For these reasons, I consider this proposal unsuitable for a residential community and pose an unacceptable level of risk to both amenity and health. I formally object to this development.
The proximity of this development — approximately 160 metres from both homes and a primary school — raises serious concerns that have not been adequately addressed. The scale of the proposed diesel generator infrastructure is particularly troubling. The EIS acknowledges the potential for air quality exceedances under certain conditions, yet there is no clear, enforceable framework to ensure that nearby residents and children are protected from this risk.
Equally concerning is the introduction of continuous industrial noise into a predominantly residential environment. A facility operating 24 hours a day will inevitably alter the character of the area, impacting not only the school environment but also the day-to-day livability of surrounding homes. Constant background noise, even at compliant levels, can degrade quality of life over time.
In addition, the proposal raises broader environmental concerns, including significant water consumption, removal of established trees, and unresolved contamination risks. These are long-term issues that will affect not only current residents but future generations.
When considered together, these impacts represent a fundamental mismatch between the scale and nature of the development and its location.
For these reasons, I consider this proposal unsuitable for a residential community and pose an unacceptable level of risk to both amenity and health. I formally object to this development.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
I have been made aware that the proposed data centre that is being built and operated very near to my house will be hazardous and have potential long term effect for myself, neighbours and the lane cove community near this centre. I am concerned that the major construction will bring air and noise pollution for an extended time period and this will also impact the nature strips and wildlife in the area. The close proximity for the school and the local houses to this centre is another hazard for traffic and noisy activity during day and night, especially during construction when the deadline for construction is still undetermined and could extend longer than expected. My respiratory health is not perfect so I am worried the pollution and air impacts from the generators, possible asbestos during construction and building tear down, ventilation in the centre could affect me in the long term. I am a keen gardener so am also alarmed that natural vegetation and areas around the proposed constructions sites will be affected as well.
LANE COVE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Object
LANE COVE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Object
LANE COVE
,
New South Wales
Message
Attachments
Daniel Mendes
Support
Daniel Mendes
Support
Chatswood
,
New South Wales
Message
I support the project
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
Please see attached document.
I am against this project.
I am against this project.
Attachments
Matthew Hiscox
Object
Matthew Hiscox
Object
Gosford
,
New South Wales
Message
This data centre will displace many businesses and jobs. I have worked for this company for over a decade and will now be forced to look for a new job. Above all that the environmental impact is too large. Find another place to build with less impact on people and the environment.
Name Withheld
Object
Name Withheld
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
This project directly affects the nearby residents of Lane Cove West in many negative ways. The closest house is within 50meters to this project. Not only will us residents have to deal with 3 years of construction right on our door stop, we will then have the effects of ongoing noise from the data centre itself. Cooling systems running 24 hours a day and not to mention continuous electromagnetic field exposure, the amount of water needed to keep the cooling systems running is concerning, especially when it’s taken from the local water supply. Residents all over lane cove west have already had to endure more than a year of continuous road construction to replace water mains for an existing data centre at the other end of Mars Road. How much more distribution do we need to face?
Why is it necessary to build data centres right next to residential areas? There is so much open space away from where people live all over NSW and Australia that would be much better suited to a data centre without having a direct effect on people’s livelihoods.
Why is it necessary to build data centres right next to residential areas? There is so much open space away from where people live all over NSW and Australia that would be much better suited to a data centre without having a direct effect on people’s livelihoods.
Ben Werner
Object
Ben Werner
Object
LANE COVE WEST
,
New South Wales
Message
As a resident in the immediate street just on its border the noise, pollution will affect my quality of life as well as the value of my property which I recently purchased. It will also be very tall and visible from the front of my property as it will tower over the houses on that side of the street. At a minimum these should be deeper in the business park away from the residential houses as well as my kids school.
Gabi Fourie
Object
Gabi Fourie
Object
WOLLSTONECRAFT
,
New South Wales
Message
The pollution, noise and risk to children, nature and wildlife is far too great. Under no circumstances should this go ahead.
Adrian Heng
Object
Adrian Heng
Object
LANE COVE
,
New South Wales
Message
This site is too close a proximity to a public school and residential area.
Name Withheld
Support
Name Withheld
Support
LANE COVE
,
New South Wales
Message
Sensible to put data centres in industrial parks. There is one in artarmon industrial park with many apartments just across the road.
Pagination
Project Details
Application Number
SSD-82052708
Assessment Type
State Significant Development
Development Type
Data Storage
Local Government Areas
Lane Cove