NSW Urged to Develop Data Centres Strategy
NSW Executive Director, Katie Stevenson, will make the call at the Property Council’s Unlocking Data Centres event in Sydney this morning, which will bring together leaders from across the data centre, property, infrastructure, and investment sectors.
“Data centres are the backbone of the digital economy – but without a clear and tailored strategy from government on where they should go and how infrastructure challenges will be managed, NSW risks falling behind,” Ms Stevenson will say.
“The recent blanket ban on new data centres in Macquarie Park’s Tier 1 Transport Oriented Development rezoning highlights the limitations of current planning approaches. Macquarie Park’s proximity to Sydney’s financial hub, key utilities and skilled workforce make it highly attractive.
“Without a statewide strategy to identify suitable locations and address infrastructure needs, ad hoc prohibitions risk driving investment to other states or offshore,” Ms Stevenson will say.
NSW is home to 90 data centres and 35 data centre providers, making Sydney the largest data centre market in the country and a key player in the Asia-Pacific. The sector supports thousands of jobs and is forecast to deliver billions in economic contribution over the next decade.
Australia’s data centre industry is experiencing significant growth, with the market projected to reach a value of $9.49 billion by 2028.
“Outlawing data centres in some locations without identifying where they should go instead puts jobs and investment at risk,” Ms Stevenson will say.
“That’s why today we are calling on the Premier to lead the development of a NSW Data Centre Strategy – one that brings industry, government, utilities, and investors together to secure our future digital infrastructure.”
The Unlocking Data Centres event will hear from experts across the industry, from organisations including NEXTDC, CBRE, Schneider Electric, Architectus, Taylor, GHD, TBH, DLA Piper, and Willowtree Planning, on the challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s data centre market.
“Data centres are critical to supporting Australia’s future economic development, sustainability goals, and global competitiveness – but planning and investment uncertainty is holding back growth,” Ms Stevenson will say.
https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/media-releases/nsw-needs-a-data-centres-strategy-to-unlock-digital-growth