Gunlake Quarries has issued a statement in light of recent community concern about heavier truck movements to and from its two million tonnes per annum operation, two hours south of Sydney.
The hard rock quarry, which has been recognised by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court as a Site of Strategic Development, is proposing an increase in maximum daily truck movements by 50 per cent, removing its annual tonnage limit of 2mtpa so the transport of saleable product is restricted by the approved truck movements only, and extending the life of the operation by 30 years.
Residents of the nearby town of Marulan are concerned about the effect the increased number of trucks will have on their roads, and are advocating the NSW Government compel Gunlake Quarries to explore a rail transport option, similar to some other quarries in the Marulan district.
Gunlake Quarries has expressed its belief in a statement to Quarry that it has paid its due diligence and received approval from the relevant authorities.
“The Gunlake quarry is not located on rail, our quarry is solely a road-based operation … In 2017, this was upheld by the Land and Environment Court in its approval,” a spokesman for the company said.
After being advised of how best to develop a road transport route in line with Planning Assessment Commission conditions and Austroad guidelines, Gunlake Quarries has fully funded an upgrade to its primary transport route along the Hume Highway.
“The design, that was adopted from the Newell Highway and the Kings Highway, created a rural road with a design capacity that is more than capable of meeting the additional truck movements from the Gunlake quarry,” the spokesman said. “The primary transport route is now being recognised as an ‘industry leading’ design, which is being used as a template for other heavy haulage routes in NSW.”
While Gunlake wouldn’t comment on the viability of the community’s proposed rail transport option, it did attest to its positive impact in the local community.
“Gunlake Quarry has an active Community Consultative Committee (CCC) with representatives across the local community who provide good and balanced input,” Gunlake said.
“Moreover, the local community and Council are generally very supportive of the quarrying industry and Gunlake, which is something upon which Gunlake places a lot of value by being a very active and supportive entity within the local community.”