SOUTH MORANG, VIC. — Whittlesea City Council has called for a moratorium on data centre approvals until proposed Victorian Government planning reforms relating to data centres are finalised and implemented in Planning Schemes, following further consultation with local government.
The City of Whittlesea has reinforced its commitment to advocating on behalf of the community on data centre developments, with Council resolving a series of actions at the Council Meeting on October 20, 2026 regarding current and future data centre applications in the municipality.
As part of the resolution, Council will write to the Victorian Premier, the Minister for Planning and the Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy to formally outline its position and advocate for greater transparency, stronger planning controls and meaningful consultation with councils and communities.
“There is a place for data centres, but the key question is how and where they are located. Planning decisions of this scale must be informed by meaningful community engagement and a transparent process that gives local residents a genuine opportunity to have their say,” City of Whittlesea Mayor, Cr Lawrie Cox, said.
It called on all parties and candidates in the Victorian State election to commit to adopting strong regulations for data centres, including measures to mitigate impacts on community safety and health, the environment and biodiversity, local residents and communities, resources and infrastructure, facility redundancy and remediation, and cultural heritage.
Council also resolved to express its opposition to the Victorian Government’s use of the Development Facilitation Program to approve a data centre at 525 McDonalds Road, South Morang, and called for an immediate hold on the determination of further data centre applications in the City of Whittlesea, including the current application for a proposed data centre at 165 Williamsons Road, South Morang.
“I have serious concerns about the Planning Minister’s approach. The Development Facilitation Program extends far beyond data centres to housing and other major developments, yet it diminishes the role of councils and limits opportunities for community consultation,” Mayor Cox said.
The resolution follows significant community interest in data centres and ongoing concerns about planning processes, community consultation, environmental impacts, infrastructure demands and local amenity. Council has consistently called for stronger regulatory and planning frameworks for major data centre infrastructure and greater local government involvement in decision-making.
“These concerns are not isolated to one municipality. Councils across Victoria have raised similar objections to a process that they believe undermines local decision-making and weakens community participation in the planning system,” Mayor Cox said.
While Council is not the decision-maker for applications assessed through the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program, it remains committed to representing community views and ensuring residents have opportunities to be informed and have their voices heard.
Community members can continue to view information about current applications, access relevant documentation and learn more about Council’s advocacy on the City of Whittlesea’s dedicated data centre webpage.
