‘Disgusted’: Pristine Sydney green space to be replaced by enormous AI data centrePlans to erect a giant AI data centre over a pristine green space in the heart of Sydney have sparked furious pushback from locals.Adrian Zorzut5 min readAugust 4, 2026 - 1:58PMA former golf course next to Sydney Airport could soon be replaced with multibillion-dollar AI data centre and hotel. The sprawling facility is tipped to be built on Kogarah Golf Club in Arncliffe after the club recently moved out.The proposed development includes commercial offices, a logistics hub, retail and hospitality spaces, an 18-storey hotel, and almost 1600 carparking spaces, according to an application on the NSW Government planning portal. It’s set to cost between $2.9 billion and $3.5 billion to build.The new development could cost up to $3.5 million to build. Picture: SuppliedThe giant data hub will be centrepiece of the development by John Bord Properties, which entered into a joint venture with Stockland to deliver the project. It bought the land in March 2025 for $50 million, with the proceeds funding the golf club’s relocation to the newly established Oak Point Golf Club at Lansvale.The club has been at the site since 1928, documents show.Others you may likenewsnewsPlayers already spent most of a decade playing on a reduced 15-hole course after a section of the club’s land was acquired for the WestConnex project in 2016.The redevelopment will include five hectares for hotels, offices, serviced apartments, shops and restaurants, while 14 hectares will be handed to Bayside Council for a public park and new cycling and walking paths along the Cooks River.The land was bought for $50 million in 2025. Picture: Kogarah Golf Club/Facebook‘This would be horrendous’The proposal is already dividing the community, with some saying they support plans to redevelop the site but don’t want it to be turned into a data centre.Residents have expressed concerns about the ecological impact on Cooks River as well as the noise created from the data centre and the strain on the local electricity grid.“I am absolutely disgusted that this is being pushed. I don’t want data centres here,” one person, who was not named, said in a submission.“I am appalled at the overbearing scale and negative impact on community amenity, as well as the potential impacts on a sensitive and much-valued riparian environment,” wrote Lynne Hancock, who said she is a registered urban designer.“Simply put, it’s too big, too blank, too selfish in its use of precious resources – and gives nothing back to mitigate or offset the damage it will do.”The proposals includes office space and a hotel. Picture: SuppliedAnother unnamed commenter said, “The ecological impacts from this would be horrendous.”Kai Huang said it was a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to show economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.“Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them,” he wrote.“This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.”Bayside Council said it lodged an initial submission outlining several key concerns and issues including consistency with the Cooks Cove Planning Proposal, building height, bulk, and scale, and the impacts on Pemulwuy Park, especially in relation to overland flow of water during wet weather events.The plans have been blasted by some locals. Picture: SuppliedThe NSW Government designated the site a State Significant Development, allowing it to be the final decider on any proposal.The application received three letters of support with one unnamed individual branding it “exciting” for the local area. Some 593 objections were filed.“It’s a pretty devastating time for all of the members. Everybody is affected by this,” long-time Kogarah Golf Club general manager Tony Rodgers told Australian Golf Digest in 2025.“Government departments have no commercial imperative. They do what’s important for the government of the day. When you’re needing something off them, they’ve got many other people to satisfy. You just get in line and interests change over time.”The NSW Government will respond to feedback following a public exhibition. It is still far off deciding the application.A spokesperson for Stockland said the company is currently seeking approval for an overarching concept masterplan for the site, which has logistics and trade-related enterprise as its primary focus. They said the application establishes broad planning parameters and a range of potential land uses that may be considered as the precinct evolves. A data centre is one of several potential land uses identified and is not the subject of the current application.News.com.au understands any future data centre proposal would require its own detailed assessment, including consideration of cooling technology, water demand, energy use, stormwater management and environmental performance.Only three people have written in support of the proposal so far. Picture: Supplied“The site is located adjacent to Sydney Airport and in close proximity to Port Botany and major transport infrastructure, making it uniquely suited to employment, logistics and trade-related activities supporting the broader local community as well as Sydney’s economy,” they said.“Beyond the economic benefit, a Voluntary Planning Agreement with Bayside Council supports the project’s delivery of a 1km public foreshore link along the Cooks River and the future delivery of the 14-hectare Pemulwuy Park, local road upgrades and improved active transport connections.”They added: “Community feedback is an important part of the planning process, and we will continue to engage openly with local stakeholders as the project progresses.”News.com.au also understand the gulf club was rezoned in May 2025, making way for its use as a logistics hub.In March 2026, the Federal Minister for Environment and Water determined the project is “Not a Controlled Action”, meaning there is no further requirement for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Environmental considerations for the project will instead be comprehensively assessed as part of the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) process.A Biodiversity Development Assessment Report has been prepared, and any required mitigation and management measures would be considered through that process and future detailed applications, according to Stockland.A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said: “The applicant is currently preparing a response to all submissions received during the public exhibition period that must address all issues raised by the community. “The Department will carefully consider the proposal and the applicant’s Submissions Report as part of its own detailed assessment, in line with all applicable NSW Government policies and guidelines.”Data centre boomIt comes as Australia is emerging as a hot destination for new centres, and Australians across the nation are pushing back against them.As of June, Australia currently has at least 162 operational data centres, with another 90 or more in the planning and development pipeline, with the vast majority heavily clustered along the eastern seaboard in Sydney and Melbourne.In July, Macquarie Technology splashed out $240 million on a parcel of land at Macquarie Park, which will add a fourth data centre to its existing campus.The $3 billion investment will build a new centre on a 34,200 square metre site in Sydney’s northern suburbs, between Talavera Road and the M2 motorway.Australia is experiencing a data centre boom. Picture: Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe tech giant hopes the project will be completed in late 2029, but it will need to go through the full planning process with local authorities.In June, Sydney-based civil engineering and construction company, MAK Urban Group, was knocked back in its plans to erect a $4.8 million development in the heart of the Blue Mountains.More CoverageHuge data centre warning we can’t ignoreJason MurphyFeature now makes homes worth $35k lessUnity Jackson-MuirMAK’s application proposes the facility on a residential street in north Katoomba, a block from a school and bordering a park. It’s about an eight-minute drive from one of Australia’s most iconic sights, the Three Sisters mountains. The centre was expected to employ up to five staff.The NSW Government, John Boyd and Stockland have been contacted for comment.Read related topics:SydneyJoin the conversationAdd your comment to this storyTo join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? 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