What’s next at 127 Todd Rd?

NEXTDC’s M4 data centre at 127 Todd Road, Fishermans Bend, was approved by Planning Minister, Sonya Kilkenny, on 16 January.

The 2.64 ha site, next door to Westgate Park, was formerly the printing press of the Herald and Weekly Times. It has been vacant for several years. The site looks even bigger after buildings were demolished throughout 2025. 106 trees on site have been removed to accommodate the data centre’s large footprint.

The site’s sense of dereliction and abandonment will likely soon change following this approval. The decaying tennis court hangs on. Table tennis is more likely to form part of the Innovation Hub on the same corner of Todd Rd and Wharf Rd.

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In celebrating the approval, NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie said that ‘M4 will be a digital infrastructure campus bringing together a hyperscale AI Factory, a sovereign-grade mission-critical operations centre, and a Technology Centre of Excellence to support skills development, research, and industry collaboration. And further ‘By anchoring M4 at Fishermans Bend, we’re activating a nationally integrated ecosystem for industrial AI, defence, research and deep tech.’

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From the planning report¹, we learn that

• The building is arranged over a ground floor and five upper levels, with the uppermost plant and equipment zones recessed from the primary façades to reduce perceived bulk when viewed from the public realm. The building attains a maximum height of 40.5 metres to the upper roof level and 47.5 metres to the top of roof plant.
• The commercial/office components and Innovation Hub will present to the Todd Rd/Wharf Road intersection.
• The architectural character employs a regular structural rhythm expressed through precast blade columns, with angled precast and aluminium fin elements creating depth and relief
• The materials palette includes textured precast concrete, tinted and fritted glazing, flat and angled aluminium cassettes in grey, black, and red, galvanised steel mesh screens, and weatherproof louvres.

These words make much more sense when you look at the renders on the Architectus website, especially the image showing the data centre in relation to Westgate Park.

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The development will be fringed with locally indigenous vegetation chosen to respond to Westgate Park.

19 mature trees will be retained to ‘anchor the landscape’ while 181 trees will be planted complemented by a diverse understorey of locally indigenous shrubs, grasses, and groundcovers, including Kangaroo Grass, Sweet Bursaria, White Correa, and Lomandra species.

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The extremely rapid growth of AI is fuelling demand for new data centres that is outpacing the governance and the planning for them

It is a competitive industry. Operators that are able to secure land, water, energy and permit approvals will be ahead. This site is advantaged by existing utility infrastructure associated with its former industrial use, including power, water, sewer and telecommunications connections.

Data centres need land, and large amounts of energy and water for cooling. As the take up of AI accelerates, so too will the demand for energy and water.

Data centres are new industrial scale users of water. There is growing concern, particularly in the water scarcer west of Melbourne that drinking, rather than recycled water, will be used to cool data centres, and that the extra water will be taken from already flow stressed waterways. The current low price for industrial users of water means that some data centre operators may be unwilling to invest in more expensive non potable water sources.

NEXTDC’s M4 promises to use non potable water.

There is a growing community expectation that to maintain their social license, data centres should fund the investment up front that is needed to supply the additional water and energy demand they generate.

PS

It is interesting that the planning report makes absolutely no reference to the disused Webb Dock railway line which runs along the site boundary at Wharf Road. This alignment is included for future rail in the Port’s Development Strategy 2055.

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¹ Planning Permit No PA2504019127 Todd Road, Port Melbourne

Data centres in Fishermans Bend, Port Places, 24 October 2024