Department of Planning gets the message at community meeting

It was a full house in the Paterson School of Arts Hall last night, standing room only.

After intros from official attendees; Dept Planning, Daracon, EPA, Dungog Shire, Dept Premier & Cabnet and Maitland State MP. Howard Reed Director of Resource Assessment from NSW Department of Planning opened by explaining the process and told the audience that the determination of the project would go through the independent Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC).

He advised he had visited and met with Daracon and quarry staff, Martins Creek residents and other relevant community groups. The meeting was then opened to the floor for community to ask questions and lodge their concerns.

During the evening a gentleman in the audience moved a motion "that the community reject any expansion of Martins Creek Quarry and demand the Government and Dungog Shire Council regulate existing consents" The motion was seconded and then overwhelmingly passed in favor by a show of hands from the audience.

At the end of the evening Howard Reed stated he was now well aware that the community was resolute an forthright in their views and he would have to take that with him back to Sydney.

Here below were just a few of the comments collected from the crowd attesting to the current impacts, the lack of consultation and known future impacts that would occur from an expansion of the facility; 

Lady says we don't want quarry men out of work but we live here because we love our lifestyle

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Lady says blasting shakes her house on merchant Rd will #daracon pay for the crack through her brick house

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Man says this is #daracon attitude let's throw 2000 pages at these country kids

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Lady says @MCQAG not asking to close quarry we want local jobs at quarry but asking to run quarry at a reasonable level

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

She says merchant Rd dust a problem her children have had to move due to asthma

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Lady in crowd says she and her children are woken up at 5:30am 6 days per week, says it is awful to think #daracon want to start even early

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Bolwarra resident says she hears trucks at 4:30am and council condition required 70% by rail

— MCQAG (@MCQAG) November 2, 2016

Daracon EIS goes on public exhibition

NSW Department of Planning have announced that Dararcon's EIS for the proposed Martins Creek Quarry Expansion has gone on public exhibition from 13th October through until 24th November.

It's official the EIS is on exhibition and seeking approval for the following;

• Extract up to 1.5 million tonnes of hard rock material per annum

• Expanding into new extraction areas and clearing 37ha of existing native vegetation

Increase the hours of operation;

• Quarrying from 6am to 6pm (Monday to Saturday)

• Processing from 6am to 10pm (Monday to Saturday)

• Mixing and binding from 4.30am to 10pm (Monday to Saturday)

• Stockpiling, loading and dispatch of road transport from 5.30am to 7pm (Monday to Saturday)

Increase off site transport from the site to;

• 40 loads per hour dispatch during morning peaks (equating to 80 truck movements per hour taking into account empty trucks travelling to the site)

• 215 loads per day (equating to 430 truck movements per day taking into account empty truck movements to the site) and

• train loading 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

A first pass review shows the EIS is littered with miss leading information and errors, including the use of its current unlawful operations as background data within the assessments. The EIS also chooses to down play and in some cases omit the very real impacts already experienced by residents who live around the facility and along the haul route.

If you are concerned, remember silence is consent, be sure to lodge your objection to the development application via this link.