OLYMPIC Village style accommodation could be built in Armidale to house an expected influx of workers for renewable energy projects, Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland says.
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Once the wind and solar farms have been built, their accommodation could be reconfigured and sold as normal houses into the market.
Mayor Coupland made his comments at a meeting organised by the New England Visions 2030 Institute.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, held at the Armidale City Bowling Club on Wednesday, September 6.
The meeting was called to discuss the impact on the community of making New England the state's largest Renewable Energy Zone.
Mayor Coupland was guest speaker at the meeting, along with Uralla Mayor Robert Bell and Walcha Mayor Eric Noakes.
Residents remain concerned at the way the zones have been introduced into communities, creating tension among landowners and uncertainty about the zones' impacts on local environments.
The meeting heard how already, there were at least 1 million solar panels installed across New England, with that figure likely to at least double once the zone is established.
There are also an indeterminate number of wind farms scheduled to be constructed in the region. Mayor Coupland said each wind farm took about 400 workers two years to construct.
"Armidale is likely to be the dormitory for the New England Renewable Energy Zone," Mayor Coupland said.
That would mean an influx of workers coming to Armidale while the projects are being built.
While associated developers couldn't just "rock into town and take over the hotels", Mayor Coupland said the city would probably bear the brunt of providing accommodation for the workers.
"I don't want to see workers' camps," Mayor Coupland said.
"Any renewable developer will have to show what their accommodation strategy is for workers."
It was part of a developer's environmental impact statement to provide a strategy for accommodation, Mayor Coupland said.
Talks about issues surrounding New England's REZ are underway with the NSW Department of Planning, Energy Co and other parties, as multiple projects across the region are confirmed.
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