Ethos Urban was engaged by Lindsay Bennelong to provide strategic planning advice for the S6 Sydney Data Centre—Australia's first data centre designed exclusively for AI factories and sovereign AI.
Ethos Urban assisted Lindsay Bennelong with the preparation of a regionally significant development application and statement of environmental effects for the construction of a four-storey data centre at Gore Hill. The 12,500m2 development includes data halls, uninterruptible power supply and battery equipment, mechanical plant, diesel generators, provision for 1,802 data racks and associated amenities, loading, storage, waste management, parking and landscaping.
The key issue that required resolution through the planning approval process was the definition of gross floor area (GFA) for the development. Ethos Urban successfully argued and ultimately obtained Council agreement that the proposed plant rooms and other areas used exclusively for mechanical services, should not be calculated as gross floor area (GFA), notwithstanding that these areas comprised 58% of the building’s floor area. The building as a result, while compliant with the site’s floor space ratio (FSR) control, is larger in scale than others with a similar floor space ratio. Notwithstanding this, the building could demonstrate compliance with height, site coverage and setback controls.
Ethos Urban also negotiated a reduced car parking requirement, aligned with the site's limited staffing demands.
The data centre is now operated by NextDC as Sydney’s first “AI factory” providing single or multi-platform environments to facilitate production of artificial intelligence in a sovereign trusted environment.
Through expert navigation of planning controls and a clear understanding of data centre operational needs, Ethos Urban enabled the approval of a high-capacity, AI-ready facility at Gore Hill. The outcome highlights the importance of strategic planning in delivering specialised infrastructure that meets both regulatory requirements and future technology demands.
Client
Lindsay Bennelong
Location
Artarmon, NSW
Status
Completed
