Black Swan Production Restart, page-688

The question of on-site accomodation at BS is more than a ($20m-ish) cost line item that was excluded from the BFS in favour of a Kal option. I'm of the view that this was likely forced by the recalcitrance of the local council (i.e. primarily driven by external approvals constraints, rather than a cost saving choice per se).

It's worth bearing in mind that the accomodation tightness challenges in Kal appear to have been greatly exacerbated by the local council who, until only recently, were being an obstructionist planning hardliner by knocking back accomodation DAs that didn't neatly fit within their idea of ideal, regardless of real-world conditions.

They are finally waking up to reality on the approvals front, but it's still a council with planning officers and councillors. The open question is just how willing the council is to change its spots and work with the mining community, rather than against it.

I'm not suggesting the local council is the only impediment in the accomodation equation, but as the planning approvals authority it has been the largest, imo.