In the Cove has been contacted by several Lane Cove West residents asking for updates on the significant pipe and road works being undertaken around Lane Cove West by Interflow on behalf of Sydney Water.
In the Cove, has been advised that the Interflow work is being undertaken to increase the water supply to the Lane Cove West Business Park AirTrunk Data Centre. The work includes digging up the road, installing pipes and large pre cast concrete forms. Once installed roadwork is undertaken.
The work started on Banksia Close (not far from the Lane Cove West Public School) and has now moved to other parts of Lane Cove West (including Garling Street and Hallam Avenue).
Some of our readers told us they had not received any notification about the works and do not know when a particular road will be blocked. Other readers have been concerned about the standard of the road remediation work undertaken by Interflow and have noted that the rough edges and plates on the road could create hazards for cyclists and motorcyclists.
A sample of the comments we received is below:
“Have you or any roving reports seen the mess that is Banksia Close and adjoining streets recently? Interflow have been digging and installing water pipes for weeks (since well before school term began) and while there are traffic wardens, there are no council ‘works’ signs and there’s a mess of cars and through traffic each afternoon during school pickup. Even the school bus couldn’t manoeuvre through the mess yesterday… I’m wondering where the council signs might be and enforcement. “
“Hi there from Lane Cove West. We have significant works underway with plenty of delays (see photos from Hallam Ave roundabout) but have received no communication about the project. Do you have any idea what the project is, timeframe etc?”
When it opened in 2021, Airtrunk noted that the data centre had more than 110 megawatts (MW) of capacity and was to be one of the largest single-campus data centres in the Asia-Pacific region.
Data Centres use a lot of water. The World Economic Forum has researched this issue and published an article calling for sustainable data centres.
The article noted:
“For instance, a 1 megawatt (MW) data centre can use up to 25.5 million litres of water annually just for cooling – equivalent to the daily water consumption of approximately 300,000 people. This water consumption exacerbates water stress, especially in vulnerable regions already facing shortages.”
In the Cove asked both Lane Cove Council and Interflow to advise on what steps would be taken to ensure that the roadworks would be completed to the standard expected by the community.
Locals have a right to be concerned due to the recent issues with cabling companies installing dark fibre cabling for data centre customers. After the cabling was installed, the contractors left footpaths ripped up and dangerous to use, grass verges dug up, surrounded by orange tape, and water leaks, Read more about the cabling cowboys here.
What Role Does Lane Cove Council Have to Play When Sydney Water or Its Contractors Install New Pipes and Infrastructure?
Sydney Water is permitted to work on public roads under the Sydney Water Act 1994 (section 42). They do not require a council’s consent. Lane Cove Council cannot stop Sydney Water from undertaking works; it is permitted to impose specific conditions on how those works are conducted.
A spokesperson for the Lane Cove Council told ITC:
“Council was notified of these works in September 2024 and is also given weekly updates from the contractor with regards to progress. Interflow notified residents and will liaise with residents when they have questions or concerns, as the works are the responsibility of Sydney Water and their contractors.”
Part of Banksia Close has been closed off as a work area for Interflow and equipment is stored in a caged area. ITC asked the Lane Cove Council if Interflow had permission to do this.
A spokesperson for Lane Cove Council told ITC:
“Council asked Interflow to apply for a work zone permit for their storage area, which they have paid for six months. If they need to continue beyond that period, they will have to submit a new payment to extend. At this stage, they are using a mobile work zone since they won’t be operating in one location for the full six months.”
What Notice Did Interflow Give to Lane Cove West Residents About the Works?
In the Cove was contacted by residents who live on the roads where the work is being undertaken and by residents who live on roads that intersect with these roads.
They complained about lengthy traffic delays and little notice if a street was to be blocked off or closed.
A spokesperson for Interflow advised the following:
“We have not completely closed any roads or implemented any detours to date, and traffic control (stop/slow) is in place. We understand there is another project in the area, and we are unsure if they have implemented any road closures.
Our policy is to minimise the impact of our work on the community as much as practicable. We will, at a minimum, notify all directly impacted residents and businesses at least 7 days before work begins.
In this instance, we expanded this to include everyone within a 250m radius because we understood we were working within a popular access road.”
A few weeks ago, a Henley Street Lane Cove West resident told us they had not received any notice of the work. They contacted us last week to say they had received notice of the work and contact details (this was after ITC had contacted Interflow for a statement).
What is the Status of the Remediation Work on the Roads?
Interflow advised the following:
“You are correct in assuming the road restoration is temporary. For safety reasons, we use road plates to securely cover excavations outside our work hours. We choose plates with a non-slip coating finish but recognise that these don’t provide the same grip as asphalt and care needs to be taken.
Where we place road plates over our excavation, we build a small ramp/lip around the edge to provide vehicles a smoother transition over the road plate. We do use a road roller for trench restoration to ensure the temporary restoration is flush with the adjacent asphalt level.”
“We are completing temporary restoration works only. Lane Cove Council will take responsibility for final road restoration works. As we progress towards project completion, Council will attend site to scope the permanent restoration that’s required.”
AirTrunk is Trying to Expand
In 2024, Airtrunk submitted plans to expand its operations in Lane Cove by building and operating a 45 MW data centre next to its current operations. The centre will be a four-story building with a maximum height of 32.68 m, with diesel storage, diesel generators, car parking, and ancillary offices and amenities.
In November 2024 the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure advised the following to Airtrunk’s consultants:
Please note that the Department does not support the development in its current form due to:
- the relationship between the development and the conditions of consent of the existing data centre (SSD-9741).
- construction traffic and noise impacts.
- operational noise impacts; and
- insufficient justification in the Clause 4.6 request to vary height of buildings standard.
More Data Centres Are Being Planned
In the Cove recently published an article advising that two more data centres are planned in or near Lane Cove.
In April 2025, some Lane Cove residents received community newsletters about the two new data centres. One will be located at 12 Mars Road Lane Cove (being called Project Mars), and one at 6 – 8 Julius Avenue North Ryde. The North Ryde data centre is not far from the Lane Cove River and close to the Lane Cove/North Ryde Council borders. Read more here.
The question is, will these data centres need more cabling and water pipes installed, meaning more loud and noisy work in residential areas.
Lane Cove Councillors Notice Of Motion April Meeting 2025
Lane Cove Councillors Mayor Merri Southwood and Councillor Rochelle Flood have tabled a notice of motion at the 24th April 2025 meeting.
The notice of motion notes:
“Under current State government laws, data centres are considered State Significant Developments and Councils are therefore cut out of the planning approval process. This makes it hard for us to ensure we get good outcomes for our community.
It’s important that Councils are not sidelined in the planning process.
As such, we need to investigate what options are available to Council to protect local infrastructure and to mitigate the risk of harm to adjacent residential areas, C2 bushland and waterways.”
Lane Cove Councillors have been asked to vote on the following resolution:
| RECOMMENDATION
That Council: 1. write to the NSW Minister of Planning and Public Spaces advising of the increasing impacts of proposed Data Centres in the LGA and recommend that the NSW Government remove the requirement that they be State Significant Development Applications and require the submission of Development Applications to the Local Council. 2. include in the letter referenced in point 1, the request that the following requirements be addressed by any applicant for a Data Centre; a) that applicants be required to engage with the Local Council when they are developing their design and that prior to the submission of the development application it is to be considered by the Council’s Design Review Panel, b) that the applicant carry out a formal community engagement process including a public meeting in consultation with the Local Council prior to the submission of any Development Application, the results of which should be reflected in the design of the centre and documented in the Statement of Environmental Effects, c) mandate that the applicant provide an element of Public Benefit to be negotiated and agreed with the Local Council prior to any determination of the development application, d) require applicants to address the issue of the loss of employment lands due to the location of any Centre that reduces the potential for employment, e) require any application for a data centre to address the resource use in particular water and electricity, f) the storage of large amounts of fuel {diesel} be declared and the potential hazards identified and procedures to protect the local community from any such hazards, g) that all local environmental factors being adequately addressed by the applicant – tree loss, bushland, view impacts, stormwater and noise. 3. write to the appropriate Minister in relation to the telecommunication / cabling contractors who install the cabling. That they be required to engage with the local Council, consider the impacts on street trees, public infrastructure and work within acceptable hours. 4. write to the appropriate Minister requesting updated information on the effects of Data Centres on human health in particular the electromagnetic emissions. 5. Table the issue of resource use by data centres for discussion at NSROC to see what impact the growth in data centres in the North Shore area is having on the supply of electricity to residential properties. |
Respite During the School Holidays
Finally, Interflow advised the following:
“We also thought you and your readers would like to know that we will be providing respite from Thursday, April 17, and will resume work on Monday, April 28, 2025. All work sites will be closed during this period.”
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