24/05/2026
Very impressive work from Trillion Trees Australia, and a great reminder of the power of community. At Kelpie Firewood, we're proud to sponsor Trillion Trees Australia, planting one tree for every cubic m of firewood sold.
👏COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN SUCCESS 👏
On Friday 15 May, the City of Swan and the Development Assessment Panel (DAP) formally confirmed that plans for a huge data centre on the Helena River (Mandoon Bilya) in Hazelmere had been withdrawn.
Community groups came together to advocate for this outcome: 1,829 community objections were received against the proposal, and a large community rally was held in Midland in April, attended by more than 120 people. Thank you all!
The Trillion Trees community is delighted that the application has been withdrawn - a great result for the environment and the community.
Hyper scale data centres that create noise, air and water pollution do not belong on the banks of a culturally significant river, near residential properties or adjacent to a primary school. This development went against the intent of the zoning in this rural residential pocket of Hazelmere, and would have destroyed the environment and the amenity for local residents and surrounding land users, including Trillion Trees.
Changes to planning frameworks are urgently needed in WA to ensure the environment and local communities are not adversely impacted by development. Data centres present their own unique environmental issues and new guard rails are urgently needed to guide rapid development in this sector.
Trees must be considered as critical infrastructure which have a key role as part of liveable cities. The role of canopy cover from large trees must be valued and protected in our warming climate. Large scale total land clearance is destroying amenity for local residents, and habitat for wildlife while heating our suburbs at an alarming rate. Our vision is for a world where everyone appreciates the value of trees.
đź’šHELENA RIVER APPEAL
The Trillion Trees team have been custodians of the Helena River (Mandoon Bilya) for more than 40 years, working to restore the riverbanks to enhance this precious wildlife habitat that is home to dozens of different bird species, plus snake neck turtles, quenda and more.
This winter we will be planting 6500 trees, shrubs and sedges along the waters edge - and we need your help.
The Helena River Appeal is live HERE: https://chuffed.org/project/helena-river-appeal
Even though our campaign to protect the Helena River from the development of a huge data centre has been a success, our work to heal this landscape must continue.