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Aug 20, 2023

Kalgoorlie

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has received 25 objections to a proposed 1,000-bed mining camp to be built on council-owned land by mining giant BHP, including from a resident concerned the city is

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has received 25 objections to a proposed 1,000-bed mining camp to be built on council-owned land by mining giant BHP, including from a resident concerned the city is "becoming a ghost town".

The temporary accommodation village in Somerville would house fly-in, fly-out workers for a planned furnace rebuild at BHP's Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter.

BHP expects it will require up to 2,000 workers during peak construction periods, with the project earmarked for the 2025-26 financial year.

The council advertised the mining camp proposal for public comment last month.

As part of the development, BHP wants to lease 1 Trasimeno Way in Somerville and a 107,611 square metre portion of Lot 9000, Bates Drive.

The council owns the land and expects to receive a minimum $310,000 a year in rent from BHP, and an estimated $1 million in rates, if the camp goes ahead.

City councillors are set to vote on a lease agreement at next week's ordinary council meeting, with the current proposal a three-year lease, plus three one-year options.

If approved, BHP would still need to return to the council with a development application to receive planning approval, before construction could begin.

A report by City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder director of development and growth, Alex Wiese, shows there were 32 public submissions.

Major construction projects in the region have mining companies scrambling to find accommodation to house the influx of FIFO workers, with at least 600 beds required for a $1.5 billion expansion at Kalgoorlie's Super Pit.

Of those, seven were in favour and 25 opposed the camp.

There were 12 submissions from residents who lived within a 500-metre radius of the proposed camp.

"The concerns of those opposing the proposal mainly related to dust, noise and traffic congestion they thought could potentially be created by the temporary workforce accommodation village," Mr Wiese wrote in his report to the council.

Mr Wiese said there were concerns "the location was inappropriate" and the proposal would "increase the number of FIFO workers in Kalgoorlie-Boulder".

"Those who were in favour of the proposal said the accommodation village would help alleviate housing supply issues and would bring positive economic benefits to Kalgoorlie-Boulder," he wrote.

While the public submissions were confidential, their sentiments were summarised by Mr Wiese in his report to council.

"They want investment to go into the culture and recreation for the city," he wrote.

"They are concerned City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder [is] becoming a ghost town."

Another resident preferred BHP "build houses rather than camps".

"They believe this development as it stands is going against the council's vision for the city," Mr Wiese wrote.

One submission said the camp would have a negative, detrimental and irreversible impact on Kalgoorlie-Boulder's image.

"They have concerns with the pressure that a sudden increase of 1,000 people will have in services such as medical, airports, carparks and pubs," Mr Wiese wrote.

"They want to know what the plan will be for the site after the FIFO camp leaves."

The residents' concerns around population decline are supported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Its most recent data shows Kalgoorlie-Boulder's population has fallen from 33,267 people in 2013 — the same year the gold price slumped dramatically — to 30,697 at June 30 last year.

There was also a significant increase in passenger numbers through Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport in the past decade as FIFO work practices became more popular.

While official numbers for the June quarter are expected next month, the airport was on track to eclipse its previous record of 305,102 passenger movements set during the 2018-19 financial year.

The proposed camp site on Trasimeno Way was previously earmarked for a new childcare centre.

But Mr Wiese noted those plans fell over in 2021 "despite lengthy negotiations with the preferred party".

In March 2022, the council sought expressions of interest for a developer to construct a childcare centre but did not receive any submissions.

In May this year, expressions of interest for residential development were advertised for 28 days and received three submissions, including BHP's current proposal.

Kalgoorlie builder Westralia Homes put forward a plan to build 18 houses within two years, while Perth company Jubilee Living expressed interest in building an unspecified number of pre-fabricated homes with no time limit.

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