Argyle Gravel and Concrete proposed to build an approximately 2ha quarry at a site in Boxers Creek, New South Wales. The quarry would process 30,000m3 per annum of basalt over five and a half years, with an average of 120m3 expected to be extracted per day.
The project’s environmental impact statement (EIS) indicated that the resource area contained almost 200,000m3 of basalt within the quarry area and that the fractured nature of the material meant that rock breaking and blasting would not be necessary.
The EIS also noted that the project would allow the basalt to be extracted “before any further rural development results in the sterilisation of the resource” and provide ongoing employment for six people in the district.
During its public exhibition period, the proposal attracted 17 submissions from public authorities and the general public, the majority of which opposed the development. Key issues raised related to traffic, noise and the impact on the amenities of nearby residents.
Although the Goulburn Mulwaree Council recommended that the project be approved under condition of deferred commencement to allow the applicant time to address some of these issues, the consent authority, the Southern Region Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP), decided to refuse the application.
“The resource survey information was inadequate to determine whether the basalt resource [could] be extracted without blasting and, therefore, whether extraction [could have taken] place without breaching noise limits imposed by the Environmental Protection Authority,” a JRPP spokesperson explained.
“[There was also a] lack of information supplied with the development application to assess the visual impact of the extraction and associated structures on adjoining properties and public places.”
The JRPP’s other reasons for the refusal included a reluctance to approve some of the council-proposed conditions without consent from the relevant landowner, the fact that the proposed quarry access did not appear to adequately address potential environmental and road safety impacts, and the potential safety risks associated with truck movements at one of the intersections.
While the project applicant, Peter Miller, had not responded to Quarry’s request for comment by the time of publication, local newspaper the Goulburn Post cited him as saying, “[We] will persevere to secure an approval through whatever channel we are advised … We are committed to providing Goulburn with a resource we believe is significant and of value.”