Quarry extension to benefit road works

The agreement between Dubbo Sands and the Dubbo City Council sets out that 60 cents per tonne of sand and gravel extracted will go to the maintenance of Whylandra Crossing Road and Rawsonville Road and other future improvements.

According to council, the voluntary planning agreement addresses three major issues:

• The maintenance of Whylandra Crossing Road and Rawsonville Road, with the proponent contributing 60 cents per tonne of sand and gravel extracted to the maintenance of these roads.
• The sealing of Whylandra Crossing Road and Rawsonville Road to be reassessed by an independent traffic engineer prior to the development processing 90,000 tonnes per year.
• The intersection road works for the Rawsonville Road/Burraway Road intersection when processing reaches 75,000 tonnes per year.

Dubbo Sands, owner of the quarry, will invest $250,000 on the expansion but more notably has set a new model with Dubbo City Council about funding for future road works.

The quarry output is to increase by five times to 150,000 tonnes a year and put more heavy trucks on local roads so Dubbo Sands has made an offer to contribute to maintenance and upgrades.

The roads issue was part of the council’s assessment of the plans to extend the extraction area of the quarry by 11 hectares. The report and 21 draft conditions of consent are set to go to the Western Joint Regional Planning Panel, which will make the final decision.

Due to the size of the development and its proximity to the Macquarie River, the Joint Regional Planning Panel will have the final say on the project. Council staff has prepared a report on the development application (DA).

Council planner Darryll Quigley’s report also reveals four submissions that detailed objections were received during the exhibition of Dubbo Sands’ development application. Noise impacts on adjoining residents and the proposed extension of operating hours were raised but Quigley said the time was to be changed from 7am to 8am on weekends. He also said the neighbour from the dwelling closest to the subject site did not lodge a submission.

Other concerns raised were that the quarry had already damaged riverbanks and fish stocks and that there was a potential for pollution entering the Macquarie River. A report by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority and the NSW Office of Water had assessed the proposed development and the claims were not substantiated.

The proposed expansion complied with the requirements of the relevant plans and policies and would contribute positively to the Dubbo economy, Quigley said.