Overview
- Goodman Group formally told the NSW Department of Planning it will not proceed with Project Mars, withdrawing its development application for the proposed $1.2 billion site in Sydney's Lane Cove.
- The company said changes to the policy and regulatory environment together with feedback from the planning process informed its decision.
- Project Mars was a three‑storey, 90‑megawatt proposal sited about 20 metres from the nearest house and 160 metres from Lane Cove West Public School, which residents and campaigners strongly opposed.
- The proposal became a focal point at the federal senate inquiry into data centres and AI, where local groups and Liberal senator Sarah Henderson publicly pressed Goodman to abandon the plan.
- Industry groups and consultancies warn approval uncertainty and loss of social licence could push investment offshore while governments press ahead with new NSW fast‑track rules and planned federal data‑centre regulations.