There is an urgent need to provide housing for temporary workers involved in constructing large-scale projects within renewable energy zones (REZs).
As NSW strives for a net-zero future, it is crucial that construction workers – who are vital to these infrastructure projects – have access to suitable accommodation.
However, councils and the community face many challenges in providing temporary accommodation, including a lack of clarity regarding the planning mechanisms to use and an absence of guidance.
In response to these challenges, the Department has created reforms to support the delivery of construction worker accommodation within REZs. These changes provide a clear planning pathway to improve certainty for industry, councils and the community.
To support councils that need housing for construction workers of renewable energy projects, these reforms will:
Create a local planning pathway for housing for construction workers of renewable energy projects (construction workers accommodation).
Ensure appropriate construction, design and safety standards for manufactured homes and relocatable homes apply to construction workers accommodation.
We have prepared Guidelines for Construction Workers Accommodation (PDF, 1.41 MB) to accompany the reforms and support proponents and councils in preparing and considering development applications for construction workers' accommodation.
Other temporary and seasonal workers
We will support councils interested in adding localised provisions to their local environmental plans for temporary and seasonal workers. Councils should contact the Department for further information.
To assist in this process, councils can refer to the draft Temporary and Seasonal Workers' Accommodation Toolkit for detailed guidance. This toolkit included a new planning framework and guidelines intended to give councils more certainty and clarity around planning and delivering temporary and seasonal workers' accommodation. The draft toolkit was exhibited between August and September 2023.
Construction workers accommodation is for a fixed term and provides temporary housing for workers coming into regional areas for large-scale renewable energy projects. This type of housing reduces the demand for temporary accommodation, which can be an issue when these sorts of projects commence.
Temporary housing is not suitable for long-term housing needs. Councils and applicants should explore other land uses for long-term housing solutions.
The construction workers accommodation reforms will:
- create a local planning pathway for housing construction workers of large-scale projects
- ensure consistent standards for all manufactured homes and moveable dwellings that are used for construction workers accommodation
- include the Guidelines for Construction Workers Accommodation (PDF, 1.41 MB) to support proponents and councils in preparing and considering development applications for construction workers accommodation
- encourage ongoing communication with communities regarding accommodation needs within the REZ’s.
The reforms focus on accommodation for workers employed or engaged in building renewable energy projects. Construction workers accommodations usually operate during construction and are decommissioned once this phase is complete.
Construction workers accommodation can not be converted to farm stay accommodation.
New provisions will be inserted into the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 prohibiting the conversion of construction workers accommodation into farm stay accommodation as exempt development and vice versa.
This is to ensure that construction workers accommodation remains temporary. Conversion from construction worker accommodation to another type of accommodation can only occur with a development application to council.
The provisions for construction workers accommodation apply to all local government areas in the Renewable Energy Zones. The applicable councils are:
- Armidale Regional
- Balranald
- Cabonne
- Carrathool
- Central Coast
- City of Cessnock
- Dubbo Regional
- Dungog
- Edward River
- Gilgandra
- Glen Innes Severn Shire
- Hay
- Inverell
- Kiama
- City of Lake Macquarie
- Liverpool Plains
- City of Maitland
- Mid-Western Regional
- Murray River
- Murrumbidgee
- Muswellbrook
- Narromine
- City of Newcastle
- Port Stephens
- City of Shellharbour
- Singleton
- Tamworth Regional
- Tenterfield
- Upper Hunter Shire
- Uralla
- Walcha
- Warren
- Warrumbungle Shire
- Wentworth
- Wingecarribee
- City of Wollongong
Construction workers accommodation is permitted in all residential zones.
However, there are circumstances where non-residential zones are more suitable, such as rural zones near renewable energy infrastructure or business zones with convenient amenities and transport links.
In these cases, construction workers accommodation is permitted in the non-residential zones if the consent authority is satisfied that it is appropriate in the circumstances, as outlined in the Guidelines for Construction Workers Accommodation (PDF, 1.41 MB).
Construction workers accommodation is prohibited in RU3 Forestry, Conservation (C), Waterway (W), and Recreation (RE) zones.
The development standards for construction workers accommodation are in Chapter 3, Part 13, of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021. The provisions address location, duration, amenity provision, environmental, hazard, traffic and amenity mitigation and character impacts.
The Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Park, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021 has also been amended to align the requirements for moveable dwellings to construction workers accommodation.
Construction workers accommodation excludes campervans, caravans, or tents.
The Guidelines for Construction Workers Accommodation (PDF, 1.41 MB) help ensure that construction workers accommodation use remains temporary. Councils are required to ensure that moveable dwellings and ancillary buildings that are part of the development are removed when the project ends.
An accommodation and employment strategy includes the key accommodation and employment needs of a renewable energy project.
Applicants can refer to Appendix 1 of the guidelines for help preparing an accommodation and employment strategy and documents for their development application. However, the information in the template is not exhaustive and proponents or councils may add additional items based on regional or site-specific circumstances.
The guidelines also state that a Plan of Management, a Social Impact Statement, a Traffic and Transport Impact Assessment and a Decommissioning Plan might need to be submitted with the development application for construction workers accommodation.
The guidelines provide details on the content of each of these plans and when they might be required.
The guidelines do not cover construction workers accommodation for state-significant development and state-significant infrastructure. The guidelines provide information on the local planning pathway.
For more information, email the Stakeholder Engagement team at [email protected]