City of Whittlesea Council has called for a moratorium on data centre approvals until proposed Victorian Government planning reforms relating to data centres are finalised and implemented into Planning Schemes.
The Council resolved a series of actions at its 20 October meeting regarding current and future data centre applications in the municipality.
As part of the resolution, Council will write to the Victorian Premier, the Minister for Planning and the Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy to formally outline its position and advocate for greater transparency, stronger planning controls and meaningful consultation with councils and communities.
It called for all parties and candidates in the Victorian State election to commit to adopt strong regulations for data centres, including mitigating impact on community safety and health, environment and biodiversity, local residents and community, resources and infrastructures, facility redundancy and remediation and cultural heritage.
“There is a place for data centres, but the key question is how and where they are located. Planning decisions of this scale must be informed by meaningful community engagement and a transparent process that gives local residents a genuine opportunity to have their say,” said Mayor, Lawrie Cox.
“I have serious concerns about the Planning Minister’s approach. The Development Facilitation Program extends far beyond data centres to housing and other major developments, yet it diminishes the role of councils and limits opportunities for community consultation.
“This approach is at odds with the expectations of communities, who rightly expect to have a voice in decisions that directly affect their neighbourhoods and quality of life. Too often, it is residents who bear the long-term consequences of these decisions.”
Council also resolved to express its opposition to the Victorian Government’s use of the Development Facilitation Program to approve a data centre at 525 McDonalds Road, South Morang, and called for an immediate hold on the determination of further data centre applications in the City of Whittlesea, including the current application for a proposed data centre at 165 Williamsons Road, South Morang.
Councillor David Lenberg said residents expect that developments of this scale will be subject to thorough scrutiny and meaningful community consultation.
“That is why Council is advocating for stronger planning controls and greater transparency around data centre proposals,” he said.
“This resolution sends a clear message that local communities deserve a stronger voice in decisions that can have long-term impacts on infrastructure, amenity and future planning outcomes.”
The resolution follows significant community interest in data centres and ongoing concerns about planning processes, community consultation, environmental impacts, infrastructure demands and local amenity. Council has consistently called for stronger regulatory and planning frameworks for major data centre infrastructure and greater local government involvement in decision-making.
“These concerns are not isolated to one municipality. Councils across Victoria have raised similar objections to a process that they believe undermines local decision-making and weakens community participation in the planning system,” said Mayor Cox.
“Major developments with significant impacts on local communities should be assessed through a transparent planning process that genuinely considers local views, Council policies and community concerns.”
Councillor Jarrod Lappin said the community has consistently raised concerns about data centres and the limited opportunities for local input through the current approval process.
“Council formally objected to the South Morang data centre application approved through the Development Facilitation Program in 2024, yet despite those concerns being raised, the project was approved by the State Government,” he said.
“This motion is about advocating for our community and ensuring future data centre proposals are subject to planning processes that properly consider local impacts, community feedback and the long-term interests of residents.”
For more information about data centres in the City of Whittlesea, visit whittlesea.vic.gov.au/datacentres.
