Martins Creek Quarry expansion: Dungog council joins fight against appeal

The council voted unanimously at an extraordinary meeting to seek to take part in the proceedings and to reach out to Maitland City Council to stand with them.

Mayor John Connors said the haulage increase of up to 160 truck movements per day through the main street of Paterson and surrounding suburbs of Bolwarra and Bolwarra Heights would be "extremely detrimental".

"The dominant issue with the community is the transport of material and the truck movements," he said.

"There's issues and impacts from dust, noise and blasting but there's less community concern about that as there is about the truck movements through Paterson and Bolwarra to the highway.

"If you start putting a huge number of trucks through Paterson, turning right on a narrow intersection, it will destroy that village and community - that's the position council has taken."

Daracon Quarries subsidiary Buttai Gravel had originally applied to expand the quarry to extract 1.1 million tonnes of material every year for up to 25 years.

The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) refused the state significant development in February this year due to "significant impacts from the road haulage of quarry products".

Last month, Daracon announced it would appeal the decision in court - it's unclear what the specific grounds of the appeal are yet.

A spokeswoman for the company said they were aware of Dungog council's decision.

"Daracon has consistently stated that our desire is a full and open process," she said.

"The process allows for parties such as Dungog Shire Council and Maitland Council to apply to be heard.

"We cannot speculate as to the impact such an application might have on the outcome of the appeal."

Daracon hopes the appeal will be wrapped up within the next six to eight months.

Cr Connors said that if the company were to transport the bulk of its product by rail, it would allay most of the council and community's concerns.

"We want to protect the community interest, and the position that council has taken since this development application was lodged has not been to oppose the application per say, but to seek to have limitations placed on the movement by road," he said.

"As I recall they said it wasn't feasible to move it by rail.

"It will be extremely detrimental, depending upon the number of truck movements the court might allow - if they were to allow what the company wants then that would be quite destructive of the village of Paterson."

There is no estimate yet on what it might cost the council to take part in proceedings.

Cr Connors said the council will be pursuing the same arguments it did before the IPC decision, and that the general manager will reach out to Maitland council.

In its decision earlier this year, the IPC found that the transport of 450,000 tonnes a year over 25 years would have "unreasonable and unacceptable" impacts on communities along the proposed haulage route.

It found increased traffic of up to 160 truck movements per day through the main street of Paterson and the surrounding suburbs of Bolwarra and Bolwarra Heights would have impacts on tourism, business, residential amenity and road and pedestrian safety.

The commission acknowledged on-site issues associated with the proposal, including water, air quality and biodiversity impacts could have been managed and agreed the project had "economic benefits".

A date has not yet been set for the appeal to be heard.

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