Waste management and housing infrastructure on the Gold Coast could be supported through a proposal from Boral.
The Australian construction materials producer has applied to unlock the State Key Resource Area at Reedy Creek and the West Burleigh Construction Waste and Resource Recovery Project.
The dual proposals, if approved, would see Boral spearhead the transformation of 26 per cent of the 216.7-hectare Reedy Creek site for quarry development. The West Burleigh Quarry would then be used for “resource recovery activities” including landfill for construction waste.
“Feedback and consultation undertaken in recent years has been incorporated into these new proposals, with a reduction in the quarry area a key difference to the past Reedy Creek application,” Boral executive general manager for Queensland Paul Noakes said.
“There’s been significant thought to the environment, which includes protecting 74 per cent of the Reedy Creek site.
“If there is no replacement for the West Burleigh Quarry in the southern Gold Coast area, construction materials would need to be transported from the City’s north leading to an extra 31,000 extra heavy vehicles on the road annually to meet market demand.”
According to Boral, the plan would help alleviate the strain on waste management facilities in the region and support a local supply of construction materials for the Gold Coast and surrounding areas.
The company lodged its submission on April 4. Boral has supplied more than 40 million tonnes of quarry construction materials to the Gold Coast building and construction industry. Its materials have been used in major local projects, including upgrades to the Gold Coast Airport, the Tugan Bypass, stages of the Gold Coast Light Rail, and multiple Pacific Motorway (M1) upgrades.
“The Gold Coast population is projected to reach 1 million by 2046. This requires an additional 161,700 homes and supporting critical urban infrastructure like waste management facilities. The surrounding region is predicted to tip to 5.9 million by 2046 which requires almost 840,000 new dwellings,” Noakes said.
“Failing to plan for this future could result in aggregate supply shortages, skyrocketing construction costs and house prices, heavily congested roads and a significant shortage of critical strategic infrastructure and landfill space to cope with the expanding population.”
