Community campaign forces property developer to scrap data centre plan
Residents stopped developer Goodman's AI data centre plan in Sydney through community action.
Goodman is Australia's largest industrial property developer. The company withdrew its plan to build an AI data centre called Project Mars in Lane Cove, Sydney, after a community campaign.
Residents formed an action group called Lane Cove Responsible Planning to oppose the facility. The data centre would have been 16 metres from homes and one block from a primary school and daycare.
The data centre would run 24 hours a day with 49 diesel generators. It would store more than one million litres of diesel fuel on site.
Residents worried about noise, heat and multiple data centres clustering in the area. These would use almost 400 megawatts of power, enough to supply 200,000 homes.
At last count, Australia had 296 data centres, with another 90 in the pipeline.
- 16 metres
- Distance from homes
- 49
- Diesel generators
- 400 megawatts, enough for 200,000 homes
- Power demand
- 90 new facilities
- Data centres in pipeline
Why it mattersThe campaign shows that communities can challenge data centre development. This is true even though the industry gets special treatment and essential infrastructure status that bypasses local planning laws.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
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