The Carrs chose the property with dreams of providing a “nice, quiet country home” when the time came to have children.

Their plans for the future have been shattered by news that The Mac’s proposed workers’ village will be located less than 200 metres from their back fence.

“We moved from town so we would have space and not have so many neighbours and have peace and quiet – and now this,” said Mrs Carr, who lived in Campbelltown before moving to the Mid-Western Region.

“We thought we’d stay forever. It’s wrecked all our plans.”

Like their neighbours, Mr and Mrs Carr said they were unaware of the location of the proposed workers’ village until it was revealed at the Gulgong Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Worried about the plans and how they will affect their property, Mrs Carr was unable to sleep for two nights, using the time to seek more information about the proposal and prepare submissions on Mid-Western Regional Council’s development control plan (DCP) which will provide guidelines for all projects of this type in the region.

Mrs Carr plans to tell Mid-Western Regional Council their proposal to restrict workers’ villages to within 1.5 kilometres of a town is “the worst idea ever”.

Under the DCP, workers’ village could also be located within 500 metres of a village or within five kilometres of the site office of a major infrastructure project, such as a mine.

She said workers’ housing should be established on land owned by the mines at Ulan and Wollar, helping to re-establish these villages.

“We understand that the mines need workers but they should contain [the villages] within the mines,” she said.

“It would be a chance for the towns to get our infrastructure up to date and make it more attractive for the mine workers to buy a property.”

Mr Carr, a mine worker, said he was concerned about the effect on the town of Gulgong, as well as neighbours.

“We like our sleepy little town the way it is and we’d like to keep it that way,” he said.