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Planners for a proposed Sutton Forest sand quarry have launched a detailed response to community feedback and announced mitigation measures.
The company seeking to operate a sand quarry near Sutton Forest to meet a mounting need for construction sand in Sydney has launched a detailed study of all the submissions made by the public in a bid to address concerns raised about the project.
Sutton Forest Quarries Pty Ltd (SFQ), a joint venture between Hi-Quality Group and the Tulla Resources Group, has also announced new measures designed to minimise disruption to nearby residents and traffic flow and protect groundwater.
SFQ has commissioned a range of consultants to prepare a comprehensive Response to Submissions that will include a program of additional investigations, assessments and reporting. As part of the response, which is expected to take at least six months, SFQ will also commission the preparation of an independent Social Impact Assessment.
SFQ environmental planning manager Spencer Buchanan said company representatives attended the public meeting on the project hosted by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in Moss Vale on July 31 to hear, first-hand concerns raised by the community.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the time taken by the public to make submissions and attend the meeting and we are committed to addressing all the issues raised by the public,” Mr Buchanan said.
He said SFQ had also made new commitments aimed at addressing concerns about the quarry. These include:
- The need for blasting has been reconsidered and assessed and it has been decided that blasting will now not take place to extract sand
- SFQ is undertaking investigations into the ground water concerns raised by the community. As part of those investigations, operations will be reviewed to ensure that they do not impact underground water supplies
- SFQ is consulting with Roads and Maritime Services officers in relation to traffic concerns. SFQ has instructed its traffic engineering consultants to review the present traffic access arrangements and consider options that could enable access to the site and reduce perceived conflicts with current Hume Highway traffic
- Further community consultation will be undertaken in conjunction with the project’s Social Impact Assessment. Consultants have been engaged to complete the social impact evaluation and an ongoing program for consultation and discussion will be finalised soon. In addition, SFQ met with Fr Damian Mosakowski, the Rector of the Lady of Mercy Shrine, to discuss his specific concerns. During those discussions, it was agreed that SFQ extraction operations would not occur on the major holy days celebrated at the site.
Specific details and consultants’ reports in relation to the above matters will be provided as part of SFQ’s Response to Submission which will be available on the Department of Planning’s website on completion.
Plans for the sand quarry, which is proposed 1.7km south-west of Sally’s Corner Interchange on the Hume Highway, were placed on public exhibition from May 24 to June 21, 2018. After SFQ tables its response to public submissions early next year, the DPE will finalise its assessment and refer the project to the Independent Planning Commission for the determination of the application.
Mr Buchanan said the Sutton Forest Quarry would be a local operation, providing jobs for local residents and opportunities for local businesses while securing long-term access to a vital source of construction materials that would benefit the Greater Sydney Region.
“Sand is used in everything from concreting and bricklaying to plastering and asphalt,” he said. “The boom in infrastructure and housing construction means the supply of sand in the Greater Sydney Region is diminishing but at this location near Sutton Forest there is a quality source close to key markets and the Hume Highway, negating the need to transport sand along local roads which also affects local communities.
“As a joint venture between two family-owned companies, SFQ is committed to meeting all regulations and responsibilities required for the operation of a sand quarry to ensure compliance throughout the term of any approval that the DPE may issue. We are investing substantial funds and time in identifying measures that are specifically designed to minimise any negative effects of the quarry.
“Over the next six months, we will address the issues raised and propose a range of initiatives and potentially some changes to the project aimed at furthering the development’s ecological, economic and social sustainability.
“An important task for SFQ over the next six months will be a program of genuine community consultation aimed at a larger number of persons than were originally consulted about the project. We will liaise closely with the community to address misinformation circulated to date about the project and work diligently to ensure this project delivers a net benefit to the local community and the whole of NSW.”
Mr Buchanan said SFQ acknowledged that achieving a social licence for the project would take considerable effort, but the venture was very confident that the project would be recognised as technically achievable and that the level of impacts for the project were minimised to a level that would allow the project to be approved.
