$264 million data centre approved for Macquarie Park

A new $264 million data centre in Macquarie Park has been given the green light by the NSW Government paving the way for 450 new jobs.  

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the new centre would provide vital support to the growing digital economy. 

“Our increased reliance on digital technologies means the demand for the physical infrastructure underpinning these technologies is growing,” Mr Stokes said. 

“Fast-tracking data centre assessments are a key part of the NSW Government’s planning reforms because they are vital to supporting our economic growth.” 

Member for Ryde Victor Dominello said the new data centre would be a welcome addition to Macquarie Park’s thriving business district. 

“The data centre will create 400 construction jobs and up to 50 operational jobs, a significant boost for the area,” Mr Dominello said. 

Construction of the data centre is expected to begin in September and be operational by March 2023. 

This approval follows recent reforms and proposed changes to planning rules to support the faster delivery of data centres throughout NSW.  

The State Significant Development threshold of $50 million for these types of developments has been lowered to $30 million until May 2023, with extra resources included to get them through the planning system more quickly. 

The Government is also considering feedback on proposed changes to planning rules that could see some data centres set up as complying development, subject to strict conditions.