Planning for Workforce Accommodation in WA
09 Dec 2024
In this TBB Insights, Senior Consultant Monique Thompson explores the complexity of balancing workforce accommodation housing needs with long-term community growth and liveability goals.
Last month the Regional Development Assessment Panel (DAP) considered a $500-million proposal to develop a Tourism and Workforce Accommodation “Hub” for transient workers and tourists in the mining town of South Hedland. Comprising more than 1,500 rooms, with ancillary recreational, entertainment and wellness facilities, the proposal sought to deliver accommodation for South Hedland’s transient worker population, whilst also strengthening its local economy and tourism sector. Despite these ambitions, and despite being recommended for conditional approval by the Town of Port Hedland’s Regulatory Services Division, the Regional DAP resolved to refuse the application for reasons relating to: insufficient technical information, and quality of design standards.
This decision is an example of the situation that underscores the challenges proponents face when planning, funding, and delivering feasible workforce housing solutions in our resource-driven regions.
The Growth of Mining in WA
Reporting its seventh consecutive year of growth, the WA resource sector has delivered record levels of employment in the 2023-24 financial year, with more than 134,800 full-time equivalent positions. Further growth is anticipated by the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association, which predicts resource projects in WA will require 11,000 additional workers before 2029.
Resource projects expand across the Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, Gascoyne and Kimberley regions, yet each region faces its own set of unique challenges. A shared challenge, however, is the need to provide enough housing and accommodation to enable the attraction of new and retention of existing talent and qualifications.
The Gascoyne Development Commission identifies that the shortage of residential housing and workforce accommodation across the region is a major barrier to development across all of its industry sectors. A Social Impact Assessment prepared by Creating Communities in support of the recent proposal for South Hedland also identified: ‘the availability of accommodation in the Hedland area has historically been one factor limiting the ability of companies to bring personnel to the Town.’ This is further supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WA) which notes: ‘WA’s housing market has been extremely tight, with anecdotal evidence suggesting this has been a key reason why businesses have struggled to hire workers, particularly in the regions.’
Workforce Accommodation Challenges
Resource sector companies make significant investments in providing permanent residential accommodation, community services and infrastructure. They also seek to foster improvements in the sustainability and liveability of regional communities. These investments are made despite the existence of several barriers, which make the planning, funding, and delivery of residential housing and workforce accommodation in our regions a complex and often timely endeavour.
These barriers and challenges vary from region to region but can be simplified as follows (in no particular order):
- Significant infrastructure upgrade costs, increasing construction costs and often rendering a project unfeasible.
- Community opposition to potential (perceived and actual) distortions to housing and accommodation markets.
- Distance from supply chains, high insurance costs, and susceptibility to extreme weather events.
- Large amounts of legislation and regulation add to the cost of development and construction timeframes.
- Seasonal demand can cause sudden peaks in worker numbers, outstripping available housing.
- Ensuring workforce accommodation sites contribute positively to and integrate with host communities.
- Managing environmental, economic, and social impacts, including the provision of essential services.
- Designing practical and well-designed spaces to ensure ongoing well-being and to facilitate repurposing once the resource project is complete.
Planning and Design Considerations
Proponents, and decision-makers must navigate several pieces of legislation, planning controls, and in some cases: State Agreements, to ensure the proposed workforce accommodation meets regulatory and purpose-built requirements.
While the Planning and Development Act 2005 (PD Act) establishes a general requirement for development approval to be obtained under a relevant planning scheme, the Mining Act 1978 and/or relevant State Agreement Acts can vary the application of the PD Act.
Where a planning application is required under a relevant planning scheme, the terms of the approval are limited to: timeframe, setbacks, landscaping, parking and access, location and appearance of buildings, integration with surrounding areas, and any other land use planning matters relevant to the site.
When preparing a proposal for workforce accommodation, proponents should be aware of and guided by the provisions of the relevant local planning framework. This includes the local planning strategy, planning scheme, and any local planning policy. Each of these instruments will provide proponents with a certain level of guidance pertaining to the ultimate site planning and design of the proposal.
The table below simplifies the level of guidance typically provided by each instrument.
The level of guidance provided under each of these planning instruments, and information required to be prepared by proponents in support of an application for planning approval, will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but it is reasonable to expect that they will cover similar topics.
Development applications for workforce accommodation often require detailed plans and supporting technical information that effectively communicate critical operational components of the project (i.e., lifespan, number of workers, and eventual decommissioning) and demonstrates to decision-makers that the proposal:
- will not disadvantage the host community by the presence of the workforce accommodation (as opposed to permanent residential housing).
- will not adversely affect the existing and planned character and amenity of the locality.
- will support positive social, and sustainable environmental outcomes.
- will integrate with existing host communities, including provision of essential services.
Our team of dynamic planners and urban designers can help navigate this complex framework, and facilitate development applications, and approvals processes through:
- Planning Investigations and Advice
- Stakeholder Engagement Facilitation
- Development Assessments
- Planning and Approvals Support
To discuss how our team can assist with providing a cohesive and coordinated approach to your workforce accommodation process, please get in touch.