George Town council reluctantly approves 288MW Firmus datacentre at Long Reach

The George Town council voted 6-1 to approve plans by developer Firmus to build a 288MW datacentre — described as an AI factory — at Long Reach, north of Launceston, despite local opposition and saying it did so reluctantly. Guardian Australia Politics reported the decision followed concerns about the planning process. Locals had opposed the project, and councillors flagged unease even as they backed the proposal. Firmus will develop the site after the council's narrow vote. The approval clears a major local hurdle for the long-planned facility but leaves unresolved tensions over how such large infrastructure projects are assessed and decided at the local level.