Data Centres

A data centre is a physical facility that houses computing infrastructure to store, process, and manage digital data for businesses, governments, and other organisations.

Lane Cove Council is aware of the increasing number and scale of data centre developments in and around the local government area and is actively working to advocate for the protection of our community, environment and infrastructure.

While many data centre proposals are assessed by the NSW Government as State Significant Development, Council has taken a range of formal and ongoing actions to ensure local concerns are raised and addressed.

Formal Council Action

April 2025 – Council Motion on Data Centres

At its Ordinary Meeting on 24 April 2025, Council unanimously adopted a Notice of Motion focused on protecting bushland and local infrastructure during the development of data centres.

Through this resolution, Council:

• Raised concerns about the rapid growth of data centres in and near Lane Cove
• Highlighted impacts including noise, light spill, sediment runoff, construction damage, and pressure on local infrastructure
• Called for greater local involvement in planning decisions
• Advocated for stronger upfront requirements on future proposals, including:
• • community consultation prior to lodgement
  • detailed assessment of electricity and water demand
  • protection of bushland, trees and local amenity
  • consideration of noise, lighting and environmental impacts
• Resolved to write to the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
• Raised the issue at a regional level through the Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC)

This motion established Council’s formal position and advocacy framework on data centre developments.

March 2026 – Parliamentary Inquiry Submission

At its Ordinary Meeting on 19 March 2026, Council endorsed a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Data Centres.

Council’s submission drew on local experience and raised key concerns on potential impacts, including:

• increasing pressure on electricity supply, including reported brownouts
• impacts of diesel back-up generators on air quality and health
• ongoing operational noise affecting nearby residents and schools
• environmental impacts on bushland, waterways and wildlife
• cumulative impacts from multiple data centres in close proximity

Council also called for:

• stronger state-wide planning controls
• better assessment of cumulative impacts
• a user-pays approach for infrastructure such as electricity and water
• improved regulation of generator use, emissions and resource consumption

This submission builds on Council’s earlier advocacy and represents a formal contribution to state-level policy discussions.

Community Engagement and Information

Council has supported community awareness and participation in relation to major data centre proposals, including:

• encouraging proponents to facilitate community information sessions and promoting these to the public
• advocating for broader notification areas to include affected residents
• sharing project updates and information through Council channels

Community feedback has also been formally received through public forums and written submissions to Council meetings. More information about current public exhibitions can be found below.

To assist our community in understanding how to participate in the State Significant Development Application process, a dedicated page has been created on Council’s website advising of all State Significant Development Applications in the Lane Cove LGA and a copy of Council’s submissions.

Industry Involvement

In 2025 Council announced its involvement in a dynamic new multi-year collaboration between University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Lane Cove Council, as part of UTS’s Pathways to Societal Transition subject within the Transdisciplinary (TD) Electives Program. This forward-thinking partnership will bring together UTS undergraduate students from a diverse range of disciplines to work in multi-disciplinary teams and tackle one of the defining questions of our time:

How can Australia’s digital and environmental transitions be designed to balance the needs of local communities and ecosystems with the nation’s growing demand for AI and cloud services?

Council staff across Planning, Community Engagement, Sustainability and Communications functions helped students understand the issues surrounding this complex new industry and its implications, developing resources, participating in workshops and listening to final presentations developed in answer to the question. Find out more.

Ongoing Advocacy and Submissions

Council continues to:

• lodge submissions on State Significant Development proposals affecting Lane Cove
• advocate for stronger planning controls and better infrastructure planning
• raise local concerns with the NSW Government and regional partners
• seek improved outcomes for residents, the environment and local amenity

Council’s Role

Under the NSW planning system, many data centre proposals are determined by the State Government. While Council is not the consent authority for these developments, it plays an important role by:

• representing the community’s interests
• providing detailed planning and environmental feedback to the NSW Department of Planning
• advocating for appropriate controls and safeguards
• supporting community engagement in the assessment process

Our Commitment

Lane Cove Council will continue to advocate for:

• protection of bushland and natural environments
• responsible management of infrastructure and resources
• minimisation of noise and environmental impacts
• transparency and community involvement in decision-making

Council is committed to ensuring that the impacts of emerging industries such as data centres are carefully considered and that the interests of the Lane Cove community are strongly represented.

If you require any further information or would like to discuss these issues please contact Council’s Director, Planning & Sustainability Mark Brisby on 9911.3610 or mbrisby@lanecove.nsw.gov.au.