Anne-Marie Bastian and Nicholla Thompson are planning to appeal against the George Town Council's decision to approve an AI data centre. (ABC News: Emily Smith)
The George Town Council last week approved a proposal for a new AI data centre.
Some residents are planning to appeal against that decision, saying the planning laws are outdated and not fit for purpose.
The Latrobe Council will this week discuss pushing for another AI data centre to be declared a "major project", meaning it would be assessed by the state's planning commission rather than the council.
Anne-Marie Bastian and Nicholla Thompson are preparing to fight a multi-billion dollar company's plans to build an artificial intelligence data centre.
The two northern Tasmanians, who live in the riverside community of Rowella, are among the hundreds of locals outraged by the recent approval of Firmus Technologies' AI data centre, proposed for Bell Bay, which they say would be less than two kilometres from their homes.
Firmus Technologies has plans for three AI data centres in Tasmania's north.
As well as the 288-megawatt centre, approved with conditions by the George Town Council this week, a 104-megawatt facility is already under construction outside Launceston, and a development application has been submitted for a 52-megawatt centre in Wesley Vale, east of Devonport.
Some members of the community are so concerned they have threatened to sell their homes or not pay their rates.
But despite the pushback, George Town Council said it was bound by the planning scheme in its assessment of the project.
The George Town Council approved a proposal for a new AI data centre at its meeting on Tuesday. (ABC News: Emily Smith)
Ms Bastian and Ms Thompson, who are the president and secretary of the newly-formed Environmental Awareness Association, now plan to challenge the council's decision in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT).
After being formally notified of the council's decision, they have only 14 days to secure legal representation, crowd fund what they estimate could be $20,000-$50,000 in costs, and lodge the appeal.
"It's a ludicrous time frame given how long they had to put the application together and consider all of their options," Ms Bastian said.
The George Town Council assessed the data centre proposal under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993.
