A $73.4 million accommodation village set to house 500 staff working on Albemarle Corporation’s Kemerton lithium plant will no longer go ahead.
A $73.4 million accommodation village set to house 500 staff working on Albemarle Corporation’s Kemerton lithium plant will no longer go ahead.
The US-based battery minerals company today announced it would not pursue plans to develop workforce accommodation near Binningup, which was set to accommodate workers on its Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant.
“While approved by planning authorities, finalisation of conditions has proved difficult in a timeframe viable to meet company needs,” Albemarle said in a statement.
In March, the JDAP approved Albemarle's other workers' village proposal, named Paris Grove, to be built on a 17.3-hectare lot on Paris Road in Australind.
The Paris Grove workforce village is expected to accommodate about 850 of Albemarle’s Kemerton plant employees and has an estimated value of $125.6 million.
Albemarle Australia country manager Beverley East said high-quality workforce accommodation for construction workers remained critical to the success of the company’s expansion of the Kemerton plant to four processing trains.
“We wish to thank those people who supported our Binningup proposal,” she said.
“We are pleased also that Albemarle’s Paris Grove proposal for a workforce accommodation precinct at Australind was recently approved and we are close to beginning construction.
“Paris Grove is a longer-term development and is designed to bring many benefits to the local community including employment and business opportunities.”
Last month, West Perth-based Grounded Construction announced it has secured a $140 million contract to build Albemarle’s Paris Grove accommodation development.
The dropped Binningup workers' village was to be built on a 24.5ha site at 96 Binningup Road.
In October, the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel approved Albemarle’s Binningup development application after a meeting that spanned for four hours.
The JDAP previously requested more community feedback for the project after being unable to decide in an earlier meeting in August 2022.
Conditions imposed by the JDAP in its October approval include Albemarle submitting plans for foreshore management, earthworks, construction management, social impact assessment and management, vegetation buffer and fencing, waste management, stormwater and drainage, and landscape and reticulation before starting any works on site.
The Binningup accommodation was to comprise 128 accommodation villas, a commercial kitchen, communal dining hall, recreation and wellness centre, seven laundries and a 350-bay car park.
Albemarle had proposed for the development to be temporary and subject to a 15-year lease.
The Shire of Harvey had opposed the Binningup development, as the subject site is zoned for ‘general farming’ and not ‘workforce accommodation’ in its local planning scheme.
