Council considers second Workers Accommodation Village project

Published on Wednesday, 17 August 2022 at 10:51:00 AM

At last night’s Special Council Meeting, Shire of Coolgardie Councillors supported a proposal for the development of a second Workers Accommodation Village in Kambalda West.

The proposed plans are for the development of up to a 1500-room worker accommodation village built on 37 Goldfields Highway in Kambalda West, in addition to the 200-room facility already under construction on Bluebush Road in Kambalda West. The village will provide rooms for employees working on local mine sites to meet the growing needs of the mining industry.

The Shire believes both Worker Accommodation Village projects will strengthen the Shire’s economic position and enable further investment in important community and tourism initiatives. The proposed location of the village is close to the shops, hotel and pool which the Shire anticipates will create a critical mass of people to support local businesses.

The second village proposed for Goldfields Highway will be funded by external sources, meaning the Shire will not be borrowing any funds for the project. The project will be developed in stages, with Stage 1 to include the construction of 600-800 rooms, road and parking infrastructure, sewerage, water and stabilisations ponds, a waste treatment plant, kitchen, mess area and administration building.

Stage 2 will see another 700-900 rooms built as well as the expansion of the kitchen and mess area to be able to host up to 1,500 people.

The accommodation for workers will be high quality and modular in nature, using pre-cast concrete floors, steel framing, internal plasterboard linings, as well as thermal and acoustic insulation. The fit out of the rooms will focus on quality and long-life, so that if needed, the accommodation solution can be used for tourism or residential accommodation needs in the future. Shire President, Malcolm Cullen said it is imperative for the Shire to generate own-source income opportunities in order to keep up with the rising cost of living.

“The Shire economy, like the WA economy, is working through COVID-19 related challenges in the form of supply chain disruptions, labour shortages and rising costs,” said Cr Cullen. “For the Shire to maintain and improve the services provided to our community, in an environment of increasing costs and decreasing rate revenue due to declining property valuations, we need to look at other sources of revenue. The Workers Accommodation Village project provides that, while supporting a key industry for our community.”

“75% of people employed in the Shire of Coolgardie work for mining companies or associated contractors, so it is important that we support this industry in order to support our local economy and community members,” said Cr Cullen.

A Project Update Community Information Session will be held at Kambalda Community Recreation Facility on Tuesday 13 September from 11am to 7pm. At this forum, community members are invited to attend and speak with Shire representatives about current major projects such as the Worker Accommodation Villages, the Coolgardie Waste Facility and the Kambalda Aerodrome. 

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