The applicant for Karuah South Quarry, Wedgerock Pty Ltd, is proposing to produce up to 600,000 tonnes per annum of aggregates, pavement products and manufactured sand using drill and blast and load and haul measures.
Extraction would take place over two stages, eventually producing 11 million tonnes of material over a 25-year period. The initial stages of extraction would be lower, with production gradually increasing in the years after the site is established.
Under the current proposal, the project would generate up to 72 truckloads per day during stage 1 and up to 120 truck loads per day during stage 2.
Processing would be carried out with mobile plant and equipment that would include primary, secondary and tertiary crushers, each with a companion set of screens and conveyors.
It is estimated that the project will create up to 20 full-time jobs. It would also require the removal of about 11.6ha of native vegetation within the site.
“The local community will benefit from the provision of employment for locally based persons and the opportunity for local transport contractors to transport the products to their points of use,” Rob Corkery, of the quarry’s consultancy firm RW Corkery & Co Pty Limited, told Quarry.
“The Environmental Impact Statement for the quarry commits to a comprehensive monitoring program to ensure that the health of residents on nearby properties is protected.”
Wedgerock plans to progressively rehabilitate disturbed areas that are no longer the focus of extractive activities. After 25 years, the objective is to return the site to productive use.
“The final landform will comprise large flat area where the former quarry infrastructure would be located together with a sheltered final floor within the nearby extraction area,” Corkery said.
“Great Lakes LEP 2014 allows a considerable range of land uses that would be developed following the cessation of extraction and processing activities such as a range of industries, landscaping, material supplies, various storage establishments, eg boats/caravans, plant nurseries, or transport depots. Each of these land uses could be suitably established within the site following its rehabilitation and would benefit from the excellent access to the Pacific Highway through the nearby interchange.”
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Community consultation
The Department of Planning and Environment (DEP) is calling for community feedback on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Karuah South Quarry proposal.
The department is encouraging the community to engage and provide input as part of the planning process. “Our role is to assess this development application in consultation with local people, government agencies and stakeholders,” Howard Reed, the DEP’s director of resource assessments said.
“The exhibition period is a time in which we listen to all views from the community as part of our careful assessment process.”
After exhibition closes, the department will consider all community submissions received, along with feedback from other government agencies and councils, as part of the independent assessment process.
A public meeting will also be held at Karuah Community Hall on 5 June to inform the community of issues raised and the next steps in the development assessment process.
The community has been invited to have its say by 21 May, 2019.
To view the EIS for the Karuah South Quarry, visit the DEP’s Major Projects page.
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