While the council is disappointed, it has decided not to commit to any further legal challenges. The council has few options as further legal action would have to be on a point of law which would make that a very costly business.
Holcim will be able to blast and remove up to 400,000 tonnes of rock a year, mostly high-grade hornfels used in road bases and concrete from Skeleton Hill. The 14.2 hectare quarry site is expected to produce 23 million tonnes of rock over the next 57 to 91 years, depending on extraction rates.
Residents battled the plans for three years, saying the quarry would devalue their homes, clog roads and provide little to no economic benefit to the town, which is struggling to survive.
Holcim said it was committed to working with the community in the long term.
VCAT also stated that there was no need to keep the quarry trucks out of Chiltern, finding that works to establish the quarry and processing plants would take about three years.
Sources: The Border Mail, ABC Goulburn Valley