Isaac council rejects Civeo’s extra rooms at Coppabella, Moranbah
The corporation behind four large work villages in Queensland’s coal-rich Bowen Basin has been barred from building more than 4100 new rooms for DIDO, FIFO miners.
Mackay
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The corporation behind four large work villages in Queensland’s coal-rich Bowen Basin has been barred from building more than 4100 new rooms for DIDO and FIFO miners.
Civeo Australia submitted two applications to Isaac Regional Council late last year, the first to build 1400 extra rooms at its Coppabella Village along the Peak Downs Highway and the second to delay the construction of a 2700-bed camp in Moranbah.
Coppabella Village already had more than 3400 ensuite rooms – along with a gym, pools and sports courts – its guests vastly outnumbering the 466 residents recorded in Coppabella in the 2016 census.
A council spokesman said councillors voted to refuse Civeo’s request for extra rooms during the ordinary meeting of council as it “conflict(ed) with the planning scheme”.
Council documents state Coppabella was not a “recognised township” and the accommodation of more nonresident workers would make it “the second most populated settlement in the Isaac region”.
Documents further state the proposal would strain social and emergency services in surrounding towns like Nebo and Moranbah which were already “significantly undersupplied”.
They add Coppabella Village was not even geographically located within Coppabella – which in itself had “minimal” community facilities, social services or infrastructure – nor did it adjoin the nearby towns of Nebo and Glenden “where mining workers (were) expected to be accommodated”.
During the same council meeting, councillors refused Civeo’s other request for a four-year extension to the existing approval for a new 2700-bed camp along Railway Station Rd in Moranbah.
The decision followed Civeo advising the council in August last year that both its Moranbah Village and Coppabella Village had reached 100 per cent occupancy.
The council spokesman said Civeo had made no movements to build its new camp in the 12 years it held approval, adding the corporation was “still citing demand does not exist to develop the facility” despite Bowen Basin projects creating “record workforce numbers”.
“The proposed 2700 bed facility was originally approved in 2012, with extension to this approval granted previously in 2016, along with legislated extensions provided by the Queensland Government during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the spokesman said.
Council documents state there are 11 major mining and energy projects within 50km of Moranbah including Olive Downs, Iron Bark No. 1, Isaac Downs, Moorvale South Expansion, Winchester South Project, Eagle Downs, Saraji East, Moranbah South Mine, Red Hill Project, Broadlea Solar Farm and the Bowen Basin Gas Project.
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