The company responsible for the project is Goodman Group, whose data centre in Lane Cove has just been cancelled because of community opposition.
The proposed site for the data centre is right next to the Guildford West Sportsground, a public park with sporting facilities. About 200 metres to its south is Prospect Creek and residential housing.
Data centres pollute the environment, use huge amounts of electricity and threaten to drain the supply of drinking water.
The centre will operate 24/7, emitting noise and light pollution that will detrimentally impact people’s wellbeing and quality of life, as well as the surrounding wildlife and environment. It will also store up to 68,000 litres of diesel fuel on-site for its back up generators, whose emissions are a known carcinogen.
We have seen the detrimental impacts of data centre sites across the US and Europe, and they have spurred mass protests against them.
We demand that the Cumberland City Council and the NSW government place an immediate stop to this project. We demand thorough regulation of the industry and enforceable rules for water and energy usage, as well as noise and other emissions.
Western Sydney is already the hottest part of the city. Research shows hyperscale data centres can raise the surrounding land surface temperatures by as much as 9°C, and for a radius as far as 10km.
For such consequential infrastructure projects, that will impact people's health, quality of life, environment, water, energy, and home values, there should have been widespread consultation.
Working-class communities in Western Sydney will pay the price for these data centres with their health and their money: by suffering from toxic emissions, increased heat, 24/7 noise, water scarcity, increased power bills, and their homes falling in value. Meanwhile, tech billionaires will reap in the profits.
