Client

Xstrata Zinc & Copper – Mt Isa (now Glencore – Mt Isa Mine)

Address

Argent Street, Mt Isa QLD

Hundreds of new properties were required to address the competitive disadvantage that Mt Isa and Xstrata faced in the mining sector recruitment market. Given the logistical and time difficulties of providing such a large amount of housing, DMA undertook further analysis of the staff needs of Xstrata in the city to identify those types of employees (by age, qualification, etc) that were both critical to the business and the more difficult to recruit.

Having identified the “at-risk” cohort of 200 to 300 staff positions, DMA assessed the household attributes of the cohort and determined the housing types that would be most attractive and appropriate to meet these needs.

The outputs of the study identified that a development comprising 60 to 80 small 1 & 2 bedroom apartments with significant in-house socialising areas (gym / cinema / pool / etc) and offsite parking for ‘toys’ such as motor bikes and jet skis was the most critical. A further development of 30 to 40 townhouses with similar, but family oriented, onsite facilities was also a high priority.

DMA then undertook a site search and planning exercise to identify opportunities for these development to occur.