The mine workers’ accommodation DA came before councillors because it has an estimated cost of more than $5 million. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Miners will have somewhere new to sleep after a regional council approved accommodation that could house more than 120 people.
Plans were lodged with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) for the construction and installation of workers’ accommodation at Tarago.
This would be for workers at the Woodlawn Mine, a short distance over the border in the Goulburn Mulwaree local government area.
At a recent meeting, QPRC gave the development application (DA) conditional consent.
The plans put forward a series of manufactured ensuited buildings constructed off-site (consisting of 30 four-bedroom and two two-bedroom cabins), landscaping and an internal access road.
Councillor Mark Schweikert said the new accommodation would mean employees could live near the mine, avoiding fatigue from travelling to work from nearby areas.
“This is, to me, pretty much a workers’ safety requirement,” he said. ”Accommodation in Bungendore and Collector and Tarago is short, so I think this is absolutely necessary for this particular facility to continue on.”
Meanwhile, the plans also suggested a small shop, water tanks and an on-site sewerage system, a barbecue area, gym, storage lockers and other associated infrastructure.
Council documents state that the applicant, Develop, would lease the land, while the operators of Woodlawn Mine would also manage the accommodation.
Cr Katrina Willis failed in her attempt to have the council defer a decision on the DA until it had more information.
Her amendment called on QPRC to seek legal advice on whether the descriptor ”ancillary” was appropriate.
Cr Willis said it was unclear whether the development qualified as an ancillary development, as the project was on a separate lot from the mine and the proposal did not fall under the definition given in planning guidelines.
“The planning circular that is relied upon to explain what constitutes ancillary development does not mention development being permissible on a different lot to the lot on which the primary purpose development is,” she said.
“In other words, it doesn’t reflect a situation like the one we have here.”
During the discussion, a staff member said a court case provided to councillors dealt with a similar situation.
“We are comfortable and confident that this is legal … I would argue the case law was absolutely pertinent to what is in front of you today, and it absolutely represents exactly the same,” a staff member said.
The proposed amendment also sought more information on what the proposal could mean for traffic in the area.
Cr Willis said those plans didn’t account for workers travelling to the site or the extra traffic from their cars.
Council documents state the facility would have 62 carparking spaces, 34 light-vehicle bays, two bus bays, one heavy-goods vehicle bay and one delivery bay.
During the discussion, Cr Schweikert pushed back on the proposed amendment, saying the consent conditions would manage any concerns.
He pointed to a traffic report that found the development would likely have minimal impacts on the local road network.
Cr John Preston, one of the councillors who voted in support of the amendment, raised a concern around the development’s scale and inquired whether a workshop could be held with the developer.
“I do think this proposal is inevitably tied up with other activities that are occurring in the area, and it presents us with quite a challenge.”
In reply, a staff member said meeting with a developer while a decision on their application was outstanding would be inappropriate.
Under the DA’s conditions of consent, the accommodation can only be used by people employed or contracted to work at the mine.
The conditions also include requirements that the site be rehabilitated once the mine closes, have at least 67 carparking spaces (including accessible ones), and access to the lot be through a sealed bitumen driveway.
Council documents also state that plans for a further 20 four-bedroom cabins, a cafe and a golf simulator could be on the cards.
That proposal would need to be lodged separately and is not part of the DA approved by the council.
Ultimately, Cr Willis was the only councillor to vote against the original motion.
Operations at the mine are expected to run until at least 31 December, 2034.
