West Footscray data centre deters homebuyers

A large data centre in Melbourne’s inner west is deterring many homebuyers from purchasing nearby residences amid concerns about safety, pollution and future property values.Residents living near the technology company NextDC’s M3 data centre in West Footscray have reported issues such as constant noise, air pollution, dust and the smell of diesel near their homes.The NextDC M3 data centre on Indwe St, West Footscray, next to nearby homes. Picture: Jason EdwardsIts operators are seeking permission from the Victorian government for fast-tracked approval to expand the centre to 10ha, double its current size.RELATED: Data centres could wipe $35,000 from house prices Data centres fuel $83bn Aussie building boom as new homes stallTiny inner Melb patch of concrete listed for $600k The centre, which NextDC chief executive Craig Scroggie described as “Australia’s largest hyperscale AI factory”, is located on industrial-zoned land close to a residential area.Another tech facility, the Perri Melbourne Data Centre, has been approved a few blocks away, while a Change.org petition against plans for a separate centre in nearby Spotswood has drawn 2691 signatures.According to the Victorian govern...