Data centres
Data centres in the City of Whittlesea
The City of Whittlesea understands that the approved data centre development at 525-535 McDonalds Road, South Morang, and the commencement of works on the site have raised concerns within the community. Residents have expressed concerns regarding the development's proximity to homes and nearby childcare facilities, as well as potential impacts relating to fire safety, health, noise, the environment and local amenity.
We understand many community members are seeking to understand whether Council can take action to pause the development. It is important to note that Council was not the decision-maker for this planning application. The permit was determined by the Victorian Government through a state planning pathway, and Council does not have the statutory authority to suspend, revoke or impose a moratorium on a planning permit that has already been lawfully issued.
While Council must administer approved planning permits in accordance with the law, we remain committed to advocating on behalf of our community. Council continues to call on the Victorian Government to strengthen planning, environmental and infrastructure frameworks for data centres and ensure local councils and communities have a greater voice in future decisions.
Data centres are recognised by the Australian and Victorian governments as critical digital infrastructure that underpins AI capability, economic growth and future productivity. As interest in data centre development grows, Council has consistently advocated for stronger planning controls, greater transparency and meaningful community consultation.
At the Council Meeting on 18 August 2026, Councillors noted significant public interest in data centres and concerns regarding transparency and community consultation in state-led planning pathways.
At the Council Meeting on 20 October 2026, Council reinforced its position on data centre developments, calling for a moratorium on data centre approvals until Victorian Government planning reforms are finalised and implemented. Council also resolved to advocate for stronger planning controls, increased transparency and meaningful consultation with councils and communities.
Watch the recording of the Council meeting held on 20 October on YouTube.
To access meeting documents and recordings, visit our Council meeting agendas, minutes and recordings page.
Download the data centre fact sheet(PDF, 297KB)
Explore the tabs below for information about data centres, current and approved applications, Council's role and the actions Council is taking to advocate on behalf of the community.
What is Council’s role?
Data centres can be assessed through state government planning pathways such as the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program (DFP), which significantly limits the ability of Council and community to provide feedback and influence decision-making.
Upon receiving a referral for an application from the DFP, the City of Whittlesea will undertake a detailed assessment and provide a formal response.
We will continue to keep our community informed of significant updates.
Current data centre applications
Applications received by the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program include:
Application received: 13 August 2026
Contact: Development Assessment, Department of Transport and Planning
Email: development.assessment@transport.vic.gov.au
To view details and plans of this application, and to submit feedback, visit the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) webpage. You can submit feedback by clicking the ‘make a submission’ button on this page before a decision is made.
Council has not been advised by DTP of their timeframe for decision. To ensure your views are heard, we encourage submissions be lodged via DTP website as soon as possible.
In addition to lodging your submission to DTP, Council is interested in community views on the application. If you wish to provide feedback to Council about this matter, please do so in writing by 30 October 2026. Please title your submission ‘Data Centre Application – 165 Williamsons Road’ and send to:
If you provide your feedback on the planning permit application to Council, Council will include your written correspondence in its submission to the Minister.
Approved data centre applications
Applications approved by the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program include:
This project is led by Dover DC. For more information, visit the Dover DC project website.
What is Council doing about data centres?
In July 2024, Council submitted a formal objection to the Victorian Government for the data centre planning permit application for 525 and 535 McDonalds Road and 765 Plenty Road in South Morang. Despite multiple concerns raised by Council in its submission, the data centre was approved by the Minister for Planning.
In August 2026, Council resolved to write to the Victorian Government to:
- publish the Victorian Government’s Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan
- undertake a Parliamentary Inquiry to help inform a robust regulatory framework
- establish a joint state and local government taskforce to develop planning, environmental and infrastructure policy responses
- commit to a rigorous and transparent planning permit assessment process for data centres that considers Council policies, expert advice, and community views
- implement an Infrastructure Funding mechanism as part of the development process for data centres to deliver tangible local community benefits.
The City of Whittlesea actively participates in committees established to inform local government on data centres, including:
- Municipal Association of Victoria
- National Growth Areas Alliance
- Planning Institute of Australia.
Council is advocating for:
- Stronger planning controls for data centre developments.
- Greater transparency in planning and approval processes.
- Meaningful community consultation.
- Greater local government involvement in decision-making.
At its meeting on 20 October 2026, Council resolved to:
- Call for a moratorium on data centre approvals until Victorian Government planning reforms are finalised and implemented.
- Write to the Premier, Minister for Planning and Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy outlining Council's position.
- Advocate for stronger regulations addressing:
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- Community safety and health
- Environmental and biodiversity impacts
- Infrastructure and resource demands
- Community amenity
- Cultural heritage
- Facility redundancy and remediation
- Call on all Victorian State Election candidates and parties to support stronger data centre regulations.
- Express opposition to the Victorian Government's use of the Development Facilitation Program to approve the data centre at 525 McDonalds Road, South Morang.
- Call for a hold on the determination of further data centre applications in the municipality until an improved planning framework is established.
While Council is not the decision-maker for applications assessed through the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program, it remains committed to representing community views, advocating for improved planning processes and keeping residents informed about current and future proposals.