Gosnells backs tighter data centre planning rules near homes
The City of Gosnells in Perth voted unanimously on 13 October to advance a planning scheme amendment and draft policy for data centres. They would be a discretionary use on General Industry land, with noise, water and power tests. CDC's Maddington facility is exempt.
Gosnells councillors were unanimous on 13 October in backing a package of planning changes that would put data centres proposed close to housing under greater scrutiny, the Examiner reported. The package sets out where such facilities could be located and how their noise, water use and electricity demand would be judged. The vote follows approval of a CDC data centre now going up in Maddington, which was assessed as a warehouse under the current planning framework.
Mayor Terresa Lynes said the present framework has nothing aimed specifically at data centres. She said that given community concerns, the City believes "planning standards are required".
Council officers had proposed that data centres be a permitted use in General Industry zones, but councillors toughened that position. The use would instead be discretionary, so a site's suitability can be weighed before any approval. Lynes put forward the amendment because parts of the General Industry land sit near residential areas. The draft policy was also changed to require consideration of compatibility with sensitive land uses within 500 metres of a proposed site, though the wording council adopted does not ban data centres inside that radius. Lynes said the policy leans towards General Industry land that is separated from housing, including areas in Maddington and Kenwick.
In Light Industry and Service Commercial zones, data centres would need assessment and public advertising. They would be banned in residential, rural, centre and mixed-use zones, and separate provisions would cover Urban Development and Industrial Development zones. Applicants would have to provide acoustic assessments covering cooling equipment, transformers and generator testing. They would also need to show how they would limit water use and environmental impacts, and that electricity, water and other infrastructure could serve the project.
Lynes said the policy would not be retrospective and would leave the Maddington facility under construction untouched. Any later expansion or alteration of the CDC development would need a fresh development application, judged against whatever framework and policies apply when it is lodged, she said.
The rules remain unfinished. Once State Government clearance arrives, the City intends to advertise the scheme amendment and draft policy together for 42 days of public comment. Lynes said approval to advertise was likely in early 2027.