Growing number of businesses building worker accommodation to attract staff

Corangamite Shire Council has received a planning application from Drysdale Property Holdings to build rural worker accommodation at its Ecklin South operation.

It's a similar proposal to one submitted to Moyne Shire Council by Murray Brook Farm recently.

The application states the accommodation, which would include three bedrooms, would "provide invaluable additional onsite accommodation for employees".

"The whole farm enterprise needs additional accommodation to be able to secure farm workers to support the agricultural production on the land," the application states.

"The farming enterprise seeks to provide additional accommodation for rural workers to allow sufficient flexibility in the business where the primary and sole operator can be absent from time to time without down-scaling or altering the agricultural outputs on the land."

The application comes amid a housing shortage in the south-west.

South-west councils are scrambling to find solutions to the issue, which has left a growing number of people homeless and people wanting to relocate for work struggling to find a place to live.

"The proposal supports a commercial agricultural entity and assist it in securing and retaining rural workers as an essential component of its business viability and contribution to the region's agricultural economy," the proposal states.

Midfield Meat has also unveiled plans to build worker accommodation in Warrnambool in a bid to attract more workers to the city.

Spokesman Dean McKenna told The Standard last month the abattoir was only operating at 44 per cent capacity due to staff shortages.

Mr McKenna said the company was desperate to find housing in the region for workers all across Australia who wanted to work in the city but couldn't find anywhere to live.

"We've got people waiting to start but we can't find housing for them," he said.

"We could easily take another 500 employees."

A homelessness forum in Warrnambool last week heard thousands of people were struggling to find affordable housing in the south-west.

Warrnambool mayor Vicki Jellie said the council would soon begin consulting with community members about the introduction of a $400 annual fee that would be applied to properties used for short-term accommodation in a bid to see more put back on the long-term market.

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