Find below the MCQAG Update Printed in the March 2021 edition of the Paterson PSST
Ground hog day again with Daracon and Umwelt. In February Umwelt and Daracon held a hastily convened Collaborative Assessment Forum (CAF) at Tocal College to present the results of Social Impact Assessment work Umwelt have been performing.
Unfortunately for the impacted community many residents didn’t even know the session was being held. The session was anything but collaborative. Umwelt delivered highly technical information in a difficult to follow presentation which contained Umwelt’s expert opinion on Social Impacts ……. Yes you guessed it “nothing to see here everything is fine”.
What was apparent from the session was that Umwelt are seeking to completely underplay the social impacts of the expansion project, they are at this stage treating the whole process as a tick and flick exercise. Umwelt indicated at the CAF that they will be lodging the Amended Development Application and Response to Submissions report to the Department of Planning in the next 8 weeks or so.
MCQAG committee will be releasing our 2nd newsletter to residents shortly that detail the issues around the Noise, Air, Traffic and Social Impact CAFs. We are of the understanding that the revised Umwelt documents will be re-exhibited and there will be an opportunity for members of the public and impacted residents to provide written submissions to the Department for their consideration.
As always MCQAG communicated to the Umwelt and Daracon attendees in the forum that despite the purported compliance with NSW social impact policies the proposed scale and impacts are still completely unacceptable. They are unacceptable because our committee, our membership and the wider community have “lived experiences” of similar scale and impacts during Daracon’s unlawful operations and for many impacted residents those experiences were unbearable and unliveable.
What can you do:
Remain steadfast and oppose the Martins Creek Quarry expansion. Even if you are not directly affected, we guarantee that you will know someone who is.
Be ready to make a written submission opposing the expansion application when the amended development application is re-exhibited.
Communicate your objection and your lived experiences to social-team@umwelt.com.au and louise.neville@daracon.com.au and do not accept or believe the Daracon / Umwelt propaganda.
Stick together – do not let Daracon and Umwelt divide and conquer this very special community
Thank you
MCQAG Committee
