Data centres
Data centres in the City of Whittlesea
Data centres are recognised by the Australian and Victorian governments as critical digital infrastructure that underpins AI capability, economic growth and future productivity.
The City of Whittlesea has called for the state and federal governments to establish a stronger regulatory and planning framework for major data centre infrastructure.
At the Council Meeting on 18 August 2026, Councillors noted significant public interest in data centres and the lack of transparency and community consultation in state-led planning pathways for their development.
You can view Council meeting agendas, minutes and recordings.
Explore the tabs below for information about data centres, current and approved applications and Council’s role.
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
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.