Brandy Hill Expansion Project

I have some big concerns about the expansion of the quarry in Brandy Hill/Seaham area. Particularly due to the increase of truck movements & air quality. They are:
1. Safety of my children getting on & off the bus.
2. Walking my children to & from the bus stop as the road gets very narrow in places.
3. I have horses & enjoy riding them on weekends. More trucks means it will no longer be safe to ride on the side of the road & will also be much more difficult & riskier when trying to manoeuvre my float in & out of my property.
4. I have one daughter who is an asthmatic & I fear that the increase of dust & other fumes in the air will effect her health.
5. Air quality could also start to effect other peoples health.

The increase of trucks on Brandy Hill drive makes me very concerned for my families safety! They have to walk to & from the bus stop & the road does get quite narrow in places. My wife has horses & rides on weekends so more trucks would mean this would be unsafe to do. Getting her float in & out of our property would become a very risky operation due to the increase of trucks & the fact that she does have to stop on brandy hill drive to then reverse the float down the driveway. Air quality also concerns me because we have a daughter who is asthmatic & the increase of dust & fumes in the air would definitely effect this!

I would like to make it clear I strongly object to this. I visit Brandy Hill every weekend and some week days. I understand this area is Rural Residential and this is the zone where a lot of people have purchased homes and live in lovely surrounds. Never has anyone ever purchased homes thinking oh wouldn't it be nice to rezone this area to INDUSTRIAL,, NO THIS SHOULD NOT GO AHEAD. To bring more trucks and all kinds of extra vehicles into this area is mad. Firstly the roads cant handle the traffic now, and it will be dangerous as this road Brandy Hill drive is bad for accidents. THIS SHOULD NOT GO AHEAD.

I oppose the expansion on the grounds of traffic movements, increasing damage to roads, noise (already having trucks waking people up at 6:30am) let alone operating 24hs, increase the risk to pedestrians on Brandy Hill drv (no paths etc)

Submission: Brandy Hill Quarry Extension
I live in Bolwarra Heights and I'm one of many residents directly affected by the operations of Brandy Hill Quarry.
I'm writing to express my opposition to Hanson's development application to increase the quarry output to 1.5 million tonnes per year, destroy native vegetation, extend the hours of operation and increase number of trucks on our local roads.
What Hanson is proposing is not compatible with the location of the quarry and its close proximity to historical villages and townships and recreational and tourist activities associated with these settlements. It's in a striking contrast to community expectations and its right to peaceful life, uninterrupted sleep, safety on the roads and clean air and water.
As a resident living in close proximity to the main haulage route for the quarry trucks on Paterson I'm very concerned about noise, road safety, road quality, exposure to dust and diesel exhaust fumes.
I'm also extremely concerned to learn that Hanson wants to expand its operations and profit at the cost of threatened, endangered and critically endangered species. In my view destruction of such unique habitat cannot be justified by a project that is overwhelmingly opposed by the community and seems to be solely about economic benefit.
Expansion of Brandy Hill quarry would have enormous detrimental impact on lives of thousands of people living close to the quarry and along the haulage route. The economic benefits, including potential jobs, would be limited to a very small group of people.
As negative social and environmental impacts outweigh disproportionally any possible benefits , I urge the NSW Planning Department to reject Hanson's application for the expansion of the quarry.

My concerns are the number of truck movements affecting:

1: road surface of Brandy Hill Drive and Seaham Road, already suffering constant repairs due to truck damage. What procedures will be put in place to ensure road repairs are carried out quickly.
2: entrance from our street and other driveways in Brandy Hill Drive being blocked by large truck movements.
3: overall the gravel truck drivers are courteous, but I am concerned at truck speeds, and longer hold-ups behind heavily laden vehicles.
4: the lack of footpaths, reasonable bus stops, and the large numbers of school children catching buses and getting off buses

i wish to officially oppose the Brandy Hill quarry extension for the following reasons.
1: roads are currently being damaged without being repaired therefore cannot meet the increase of quarry trucks and associated traffic increase.
2: noise from quarry 24/7 will completely dislodge the native fauna currently in the area. it will also have a huge negative effect on all Brandy Hill residents sleep and general quality of life .
3: we currently deal with truck convoys on a regular basis and increasing this will make it impossible at times to turn on or off Brandy Hill drive.
4: our daughter is 10 and we already fear for her life catching the bus to and from school on Brandy Hill drive due to the current amount of quarry trucks. The increase of movements will exponentially increase the degree of danger for all school children catching the bus.
5:the current road infrastructure cannot support the traffic now, which includes Martin Creek quarry trucks also. The infrastructure needs to be upgraded.
6: current noise barriers (if any) and the quarry buffer zone do not adequately work with the quarries current capacity.
7: buffer zone needs to be increased dramatically and noise shielding would also need to be erected.
8: Compensation to all Brandy Hill residents must be looked at which may include buying of properties at full market value.
9: Quarry needs to pay Port Stephens council more to cover the road damage already not being serviced.
No one who lives here does so to deal with excessive noise and traffic, this is a semi rural environment and needs to be kept this way. Neither was the potential injuries of our children catching a bus ever considered to be an issue. This proposal will change lives now and into the future for the worse.

I am a resident in Gwandalan Close, Brandy Hill 2324 NSW. I live close to the quarry and the noise travels to our residence, due to the closeness.

I am writing to table my concerns to any further expansion of the Brandy Hill quarry. I have lived in the area for 10 years and during that time, the:
Noise associated to the quarry has increased - blasting starts earlier in the day and on weekends
The hours of operations have expanded - the noise starts earlier and goes later into the evening
The number of trucks on the roads have increased - the early morning rumble of a large number of trucks driving quickly into the neighbourhood is not desirable
Roads have deteriorated and the time to fix them takes longer
Safety concerns of children catching buses increases with the number of trucks and the speed they travel
Substation has been expanded to support the increased drain on the system by the quarry

Enough is enough, the operations have been expanding over the past 10 years - this needs to stop and no further expansion should be approved. This facility is located is a populated area with poor roads, which are getting busier and busier with expansions of areas - Clarence town, Seaham, Wallalong.

Giving consideration to this request, impacts families significantly. Resources exit in other locations and these should be explored in the first instance.

The increases to the operations over the past 10 years have impacted on property prices, people's safety and environmental issues. Further expansion will see:
Increased dust in the air
Increased road wear and tear - impacting our vehicles, with delays in fixing problems - increased safety concerns as people dodge the pot holes and put themselves in the line of fire
Increase hazard for children getting on and off buses on the roads
Increase is trucks speeding - we have some companies that employ and instil safety into their drivers, other are reckless and speed

Will the planning department be offering compensation to families forced to move away from the area with no market growth? Has this been factored into the costs of this expansion? When a child is injured or worse waiting for a bus, is this a cost that has been considered? As residence, the costs are not all financial and will not been seen in the balance sheets - you need to ask yourself, would you tolerate any further increases to an operation of a nearby facility that impacts on the quality of your life to be approved in your neighbourhood? I welcome you to visit my property in the early mornings, to hear to noise of the plant or come over when the quarry are blasting, stand on the bus stops with the buses rushing past and tell me if you feel safe?

Thank you
Sally
0418 411 607

I am a Brandy Hill resident and business owner who is very concerned about the negative impact that any expansion to the Brandy Hill Quarry will have on our family's peaceful enjoyment of our property, our personal safety and that of our livestock, and also the extra difficulty it will bring to my business.

We have three school age children, who have to cross Brandy Hill Drive every morning to catch the school bus. I am desperately concerned for their safety given the numbers of trucks that will be using Brandy Hill Drive should the expansion go ahead. Our children are already unable to walk safely in our area, or ride pushbikes or horses, as there is no safe place for them to get off the road if a truck comes along. This has a huge impact on our lifestyle. We chose to live in a rural area so that we had plenty of space to exercise and keep active, and because of a lack of infrastructure we are unable to make the most of our environment. Any expansion to the Quarry will reduce our enjoyment and our safety even further.

I am also concerned about our ability to enter and leave our property in safety, particularly if we are towing a horse float, dog trailer or other trailer. An increase in truck numbers would make it very hazardous for us to turn into or out of our driveway.

An increase in dust, fumes etc from increased truck traffic to and from the quarry is also of concern.

This project cannot be approved without immediate and extensive infrastructure being provided by Hanson, in order to mitigate any negative impact that the expansion will have on our local environment. A safe cycleway/walking path, the full length of Brandy Hill Drive, would be an absolute minimum requirement, Extra turning bays, merging lanes and bus stops would have to be put into place along Brandy Hill Drive in order to ensure the safety of our children on their way to and from school, and also to allow us to enter and leave our property in safety.

Very concerned about the extra trucks on the roads, as well as general traffic, we have lived here for nearly 12 years and have already noticed the difference with the increased traffic already, especially the last couple of years. God help us all if this expansion was to go ahead.

With the intersection from Brandy Hill Drive to the Quarry entrance, this is a very scary intersection that is not up to scratch with narrow shoulders on each side of the Clarence Town Road, this intersection needs to be attended to immediately. I have had cars nearly run up my behind when turning into Brandy Hill Drive, this is a black spot which needs to be fixed.

As for the dust and noise, we do not need any more of this. Sometimes our windows shake as if there has been an explosion.

Bus stops are a great concern as there are not enough pull over sections for the buses, this needs to be upgraded.

I do NOT want to see the expansion.

I hereby lodge an objection to the expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry on the grounds of an already existing noise and dust pollution problem. Expanding on the quarry will exacerbate an already intolerable situation and, in addition, create many more truck movements in the area; an area that is semi-rural with concealed driveways. School bus runs will have to compete with large trucks along an already dangerous Newline Road. I am a former long time resident of Raymond Terrace so I feel that I am more than qualified to comment on this expansion.

I have two small children that catch a school bus along Brandy Hill Drive. Not only is the expansion of the quarry going to impose a massive safety risk for my children, getting on and off the bus from school, it is going to create a large amount of noise pollution and air pollution from the trucks. I have multiple sclerosis and already have problems with fatigue, amongst other problems, without the additional noise that will be created by all these extra trucks. My neurologist has stated that if I fail to have good rest it will send my Ms back into a downward spiral and could lead to my rapid deterioration and leave me permanently disabled and bedridden to say the very least. I'm only 32 years old.
Please do not allow this quarry expansion to go ahead. For the sake of the children, the native wildlife, domestic animals that will be affected and my own personal health. Thank you

I am a resident of Brandy Hill, and I object in the strongest possible terms to the proposed expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry!

From the outset, Brandy Hill estate was always intended to be a tranquil, semi-rural, residential suburb, with basic roads accommodating a low volume of residential and quarry traffic. Despite the recent increase in trucks from the Martins Creek Quarry on our roads, the area still retains most of these attributes. However, the key fact is that Brandy Hill estate was never ever intended as a heavy industrial area for a ridiculously high volume of quarry trucks to pass through, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a period of 30 more years, as per the proposed expansion.

If this proposed expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry is approved, the remaining tranquil ambience of this beautiful suburb will largely be ruined forever, and the roads will become incredibly dangerous, noisy, and polluted for residents, local traffic, cyclists, pedestrians, children & parents at bus stops, and animals (family pets, farming stock, and wildlife) for decades to come. In my opinion, this is completely inappropriate and unacceptable!

Below is further detail supporting my objection...

Increased Road Danger and Damage:
The proposed increase in quarry truck numbers travelling on Brandy Hill Drive (80 km/h) and Seaham Road (90 & 100 km/h) will make it far more dangerous for vehicles to safely enter and exit from driveways and side roads, particularly for vehicles towing trailers and horse floats, which is common. The risk of collisions will be increased, as entering traffic may not be able to accelerate quickly enough. How will the convoy of trucks react when they encounter a slow-moving tractor travelling at around 20 km/h?

The proposed increase in truck numbers will make it extremely unsafe for pedestrians or cyclists to use Brandy Hill Drive for exercising or to simply to walk to a neighbour's house. Even if the Council or Quarry were to fund the creation of pathways or cycleways at the edge of the road, who would still want to take the risk? It would not be a pleasant experience anyway with many trucks thundering along beside you.

I also strongly doubt that Brandy Hill Drive can be easily widened to allow an extra traffic lane (to increase safety) due to the closeness of many driveway culverts, steep drops, and steep embankments on either side.

Most bus stopping areas along Brandy Hill Drive and Seaham Road are currently inadequate and highly unsafe. The proposed increase in truck numbers will dramatically increase the risk to children & parents to an extreme level when crossing the road or simply waiting for their bus in the morning and alighting in the afternoon. I doubt that any employees of Brandy Hill Quarry would want their own children to use these dangerous bus stops if truck numbers increase.

This morning (29th March 2017), a quarry truck veered across the double-white lines when passing a stationery bus at a `stop' along Brandy Hill Drive, as I was approaching from the other direction in my car, causing me to veer left towards the edge of the road.

These instances of careless truck driving are becoming more frequent and it is only a matter of time before there is a serious collision.

Last week I witnessed another quarry truck veering across double-white lines on its way up Brandy Hill Drive in order to avoid a massive pothole in the road already caused by the heavy vehicles. The line of sight of oncoming traffic up the hill is not that good at this section of road, and it was a dangerous act by the driver to try to prevent further damage to the road. The impact of the proposed higher volume of quarry trucks will cause far more damage to our roads, yet the Port Stephens Council cannot currently maintain them in good order, despite the quarry haulage levies for road maintenance.

Earlier this year my car suffered a crack in the windscreen (which required replacement) caused by a stone thrown from the wheels of a quarry truck travelling in the opposite direction along Seaham Road, Nelsons Plains (at 100 km/h). I am fearful that the proposed higher volume of quarry trucks on our local roads will increase the frequency of these dangerous and costly incidents.

The proposed expansion will also cause traffic jams of quarry trucks and other traffic to bank up at the roundabout at William Bailey Street, and back along Seaham Road, possibly over the bridge, making it extremely slow and dangerous for local residents to enter/exit Raymond Terrace by this route.

Increased Noise:
My property is located one street back from Brandy Hill Drive and my house is situated approx. 290m from that road, yet I can clearly hear the rumbling and whooshing noise generated by the quarry trucks travelling along, even at their current numbers. The proposed higher volume of quarry trucks, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, will make daylight hours far more intrusively noisy, especially on weekends, however it is night time that really worries me. At night, the Brandy Hill residential area is almost `dead quiet'. This peaceful ambience will be totally destroyed by the obnoxious noise of quarry trucks all through the night. I am outraged that 24 hour quarry operation and dispatch has been proposed, meaning that my family may never again experience a peaceful night's sleep! This scenario is completely unacceptable! The quarry must be restricted to its current working hours.

I believe that Brandy Hill Quarry's Traffic and Noise Assessments (Appendices 8 & 9) have not taken full account of the additional trucks which have come onto Brandy Hill Drive from Martins Creek Quarry and other businesses over the past couple of years, as the Assessment monitoring was done prior. Hence, the proposed increase in truck numbers that can travel along Brandy Hill Drive is higher than it should be.

Increased Pollution:
The expansion of operations to extract up to 1.5 million tonnes per annum of hard rock materials will cause the release of significant additional dust particles into the local atmosphere in and around the quarry site and along the haulage route. The proposed increased volume of quarry trucks will also increase community exposure to diesel exhaust fumes and other truck pollution along the haulage route. In the Hunter, the negative health impacts of these factors for residents and animals are well documented. Why should we be subjected to this increased risk?

Drop in Market Value of Resident's Properties:
Brandy Hill residents are extremely concerned that the market value of their homes and properties will fall greatly if this proposal is approved - due to all of the impacts mentioned above. This is particularly unfair for residents living on Brandy Hill Drive and close to it, and for long-time residents of 20, 30, 40 years or more. Who will compensate us when this happens?

Tiny Increase in Jobs:
Brandy Hill Quarry's proposal states an increase of only 10 or 11 full-time
staff and contractors over the 30 years. And there's no guarantee that local people will be those who are employed. I feel this is such a tiny boost to jobs in the area over the 30 year period, compared with the hundreds of local residents along & near the haulage route and nearby the quarry site who will be affected by the negative impacts of this proposal, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Submissions from non-residents of the area:
I also wish to bring to your attention the potential for skewing or counter-balancing of the true local community opinion, by submissions from non-residents of the areas affected by this proposed expansion. For example, I noticed a number of submissions in favour of the recent Martins Creek Quarry proposal, that appeared to be sent in by employees of the quarry and haulage companies who did not reside in any of the affected areas (and did not even reside within the Port Stephens Council area). Surely any such `external' submissions received for the Brandy Hill proposal should carry far less weight than the objections of permanent residents who will be affected by the negative impacts of the proposed expansion, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for decades to come!

Please, please, please listen to the genuine concerns of the Brandy Hill community and reject this proposal!

Firstly we wish to voice our concerns in regard to the proposed 24 hour expansion of the Brandy Hill Quarry.
From 700,000 tons to 1.5million tons per year, as well as a 24 hour operation 7days a week.
Our opposition is based on the grounds of extra truck movements along Brandy Hill Drive.
Extended hours of crushing noise from Quarry.
We feel this would degrade our current lifestyle as we know it.
Our Bedrooms are upstairs and all noise travels upwards.
We put up with noise from 5am in the morning to7pm at night - not withstanding Saturdays from 5am to 3pm.
Surely as we put up with this operation ,are we not entitled to be able to sleep without excess noise from Trucks.
An increase to these Truck movements from early mornings with empty Trucks rattling before 5am would be an intolerable situation and any increase would be unbearable.
Apart from Hanson Company Trucks we have an issue with sub -contractors vehicles, for some reason, wishing to modify exhaust systems that can be heard 3 to 4 kilometers away heading to Raymond Terrace.
Being sub - contractors there always appears to be a rush or push to return for that extra load of the day. This involves excess speed.
Maintenance on these vehicles sometimes appears to be inadequate, for example, squeeling brakes at the end of Brandy Hill Drive and old rattling steel bodies.
Another real concern is poorly designed or inadequate School Bus Stops.
All Bus Stops should have sufficient areas for Drop Off and Pick Up zones .
Brandy Hill has neither Zone , Footpaths, School Crossings,just lots of Trucks.
There is also no safe area to cross the road.
This is a Fatality in the making.
Our Council has been very remiss in regards to keeping maintenance a priority along Brandy Hill Drive.
Our Guard Rails are rotten and are badly in need of replacement.
We have contacted Council on several occasions regarding this matter.
Our primary concern is 24 hour expansion and operation 7 days a week.
We should be entitled to be able to sleep at night.
We don't wish the Quarry to close as we have been living harmoniously for 30 years. However we are very very concerned about an increase in Trucks and Quarry Expansion Operations as we feel they are already at their maximum limit.

I write to Object to the Brandy Hill Quarry Extension of an existing hard rock quarry and increasing annual production to a maximum 1.5 million tonnes per year, relocation of existing production facilities on site and the proposal for a new concrete batching and concrete recycling plant on site and 24 hour operations seven days a week.

The existing operations of the quarry already impose a huge burden on the citizens of all the LGAs where impacts such as blasting, rock crushing, heavy machinery noise and truck movements occur. The truck movements alone constitute a major imposition on amenity in the towns and villages of Seaham/Brandy Hill, Raymond Terrace, Bolwarra, Lorn and Maitland where impacts such as noise and safety on people plus impacts on road surface are almost constant impositions from heavy vehicles from the quarry. Road damage in other LGAs used by the trucks is a daily imposed risk to other road users and a major economic burden to all affected councils.
The proposal, as tabled in the EIS, intends that that up to 150 vehicle movements per hour during peak times will occur and that rock crushing will occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The cumulative impact of all these activities in a rural area constitutes a major assault on the amenity and quality of life for all who live in the surrounding high growth areas which are now predominantly urban. The massive increase in noise, risks to human safety and damage to roads and property is totally unacceptable for reasons I shall outline below.

I was involved as an expert witness (social impacts) in the case of the 2012 Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association Inc v Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and Warkworth Mining Limited [2013] NSWLEC 48. I am of the opinion that this EIS contains within it very many similar social impacts as those presented to the Land and Environment Court. Justice Preston concluded that:

"In relation to social impacts, I find that the Project's impacts in terms of noise, dust and visual impacts and the adverse change in the composition of the community by reason of the acquisition of noise and air quality affected properties, are likely to cause adverse social impacts on individuals and the community of Bulga. The Project's impacts would exacerbate the loss of sense of place, and materially and adversely change the sense of community, of the residents of Bulga and the surrounding countryside."

I submit that excessive truck noise, diesel fumes from trucks, dust from truck loads, road damage by trucks, constant machinery infrasound noise (frequencies less than 20 Hz), and loss of amenity to all properties within the rural LGAs affected by this proposal makes it unacceptable. The village of Seaham/Brandy Hill cannot cope with such an imposition and the rural amenity of thousands of people along the trucking routes will be severely compromised.

The negative impact on 'sense of place' (which I have defined as solastalgia) is so large that the affected citizens would no longer be able to conduct their normal lives nor find solace at night. For example, infrasound from the mine site already impacts on people within a huge sound catchment from the existing operations at night.

No development has the right to destroy public amenity writ large, especially at night when the right of others to rest and recuperate must prevail over any economic considerations. The impacts on local tourism and real estate values must also be considered as negative. The safety implications of fully laden trucks with dogs passing through school zones at Bolwarra and Lorn must also be factored into the risk imposition presented by this proposal to increase truck movements.

In conclusion, while there are some economic benefits associated with the mine expansion, they cannot compensate for the loss of sense of place entailed in the desolation of a whole locality and the quality of lives people living within the zone of affectation and along the trucking route. The judgement of Justice Preston in the Land and Environment Court in the Bulga case set a precedent for the inclusion of sense of place in all subsequent cases where development impacts are obviously negatively affecting social amenity. The loss of social amenity in this Expansion Proposal is so great, that on this issue alone, the proposal should be rejected.

As one of the first residents of the Brandy Hill Estate area I would like to express both my deep concern and strong opposition to the proposed expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry.
During the initial development of the estate and prior to purchasing land along Brandy Hill Drive in 1986, I was advised by the vendor, Hunter Valley Aggregates Pty Ltd that hard rock quarrying operations would be carried out some one and a half kilometres from the land intended to be purchased and that Brandy Hill Drive was to be used as a haulage route to and from the quarry site.
In order to establish the extent of the operations and ascertain the degree of intrusion and impact on road safety and the peaceful, tranquil rural atmosphere of the area a copy of the 1983 EIS 230 written by Resource Planning was accessed.
This document recorded that quarry operating hours were from 6am to 6pm Monday to Saturdays and predicted 17 truck movements per day and rising to 67 on increased production of 400,000 tons/year.
However the recent EIS submitted by Hanson stated an `understanding' that Brandy Hill quarry has a 24/7 operating approval which they wish to `maintain'.
Despite extensive record searches no documentary evidence has been able to be located confirming the `understanding' of 24/7 operating approval. -Approval by Port Stephens council to increase production to 500-700 tons in 2011s was located but no written authorisation to extend operating hours.
Further, in recent times a neighbour lodged a complaint with the quarry's management at being constantly woken up in the early hours of the morning by quarry trucks operating outside the designated 6am start.
At no time during the lodgement of the complaint was the resident advised that his complaint was invalid due the quarry having obtained consent to operate on a 24/7 basis. - The following morning quarry trucks reverted to the authorised 6am start.
Such a response lends some scepticism as to the source of Hanson's 24/7 approval.
Over the years and due to the ever increasing numbers of quarry trucks from both Martin's Creek and Brandy Hill - Brandy Hill has become a `no go area' for residents and the general public who wish to walk, cycle or ride their horses.
Also hauling out of Brandy Hill quarry are `cowboy' contractors, over whose code of behaviour Brandy Hill quarry management has no control.
These contractors at time show no regard for speed limits, travel in convoys and feel no obligation to reduce speed to allow residents to enter their properties with any degree of safety.
On March 7th I lodged a complaint with quarry management regarding a driver who made no attempt to reduce his speed to allow me to enter my property in safety despite having slowed down and indicating that I wished to do so. -Had I found it necessary to suddenly apply the brakes this driver would have had the greatest difficulty in avoiding running over the top of me.
The only respite residents have from the ever present danger and noise pollution created by quarry trucks is the break between Saturday midday and 6am Monday when the quarry is closed.
During the break residents, members of the community, horse riders and cycle and car clubs are free to use the road without having to compete with quarry trucks belting up and down the road at 80kls p/h.
Consenting to the expansion and 24/7 operations of the quarry would deny both residents and the community even this fairness of balance.
In retirement both my husband and I spend many hours in our extensive garden during which time we are unable to hold a conversation due to the noise pollution generated by passing quarry trucks. We are also aware of the posed risk to our health by breathing in toxic diesel emissions.
Recent Canadian research has found that long term exposure to two common pollutants, Nitrogen Dioxide and fine particulate matter are linked to the development of dementia. Other scientific research has also linked air pollution and traffic noise with reduced brain matter and cognition. It has also been established that people's chances of developing lung cancer rose with exposure to small sooty particles generated by diesel exhausts which are known to lodge in the lung.
The arrogant expectations of the company are evident in the EIS by the suggestion that those who would like to go for a leisurely walk closed to their homes along Brandy Hill Drive, but fear for their lives in doing so- could drive to other areas such as Seaham or Medowie ( 50 minute round drive) where there is plenty of room to walk in safety.
The implications of this suggestion appear to be that in the interests of Hanson's quarry operations and pursuit of profits- the community should just fall into line with company expectations- accept the erosion to their lifestyle and threat to their health from toxic emissions,-along with all the inconvenience and extra costs involved in having to drive elsewhere just enjoy a leisurely walk in safety.
Further, this suggestion is a clear indication of lack of concern or allocated thought to addressing the danger posed to school children who in reaching their bus stops are forced to walk in some areas , along road verges as narrow as 30cms while heavily laden quarry trucks hurtle past, within inches at 80km/h.
The slightest inadvertent turn of a steering wheel during a moment of inattention or distraction by a driver would render the life of any child or pedestrian extinct in an instant.
This matter is of great concern to me. -I have an eight year old granddaughter who catches a school bus along Brandy Hill Drive.
For the danger posed to any school child I ask that those who have been entrusted with the decision making give long and thoughtful consideration of the increased odds of a tragedy occurring involving school children if consent is given to massively increase truck numbers using Brandy Hil Drive
During a break in the recent rain, Port Stephens road maintenance crews were out with stop signs, holding up all traffic along Brandy Hill drive while workmen cut out and repaired damaged sections
Of a road that has a known tendency to fall apart during periods of rain.
It is pointed out that the construction of Brandy Hill Drive was funded by the first proprietor of Brandy Hill quarry-Hunter Valley Aggregates. Prior to the construction of Brandy Hill Drive another road was built specifically to be used as a haulage route for quarry trucks.
Wighton Road turn off is located some 2.2kls north and on the same road as the Brandy Hill quarry entrance.
Although currently unsealed the road was built to be the intended haulage road for Brandy Hill quarry. The route runs through rural acreage, has very wide road verges and only eight or nine houses set well back from the road along the way.
In seeking consent for such a massive quarry expansion and the adverse trickle down effect felt by the community for some thirty or forty years into the future- would it not be reasonable for Hanson's to consider diverting a portion of profits to the upgrading of Wighton Road?
Upgrading Wighton Road would provide a second haulage route and relieve the need for Brandy Hill Drive to be forced to accept the entire load of Quarry trucks operating out of and returning to Brandy Hill quarry.
For those long term residents of Brandy Hill Drive who are familiar with the rapid deterioration and erosion of the road surface that occurs during prolonged periods of rain, inadequacy of bus pull off bays to allow school buses to pull completely off the road out of the path of quarry trucks, and the narrow strips of road verge pedestrians are forced to use as a footpath, -providing consent for the expansion of the quarry and such a huge increase in the number of quarry trucks using the road -is also providing a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen.

Yvonne & Gordon Thompson
45 Brandy hill Drive
Brandy Hill NSW, 2324

I object due to reasons outlined. Increased trucks on already unmaintained roads. This is a safety issue. i object to 24/7 running of quarry due to the increased noise and dust not to mention the increase of blasting. The thought of a huge hole left over in the ground is ridiculous. The enviromental impact alone is disgusting. Leave the quarry as it is. This is not right. The community does not want this. The expansion of Brandy Hill Hanson quarry must not and can not be approved.

I am opposed to the expansion of the brandy hill quarry and the increased operations to 24 hours as I believe this will directly impact on my current life style in regard to noise and constant traffic on brandy hill drive. With the road already being unsafe to walk on, the increase in trucks will make this next to impossible.

Dear Sir / Madam,
I object to the project on the following basis:
The trucks speed down our street and it very dangerous. We have busses stop and pick up school kids each school morning and afternoon and as Brandy Hill Drive is not a wide street, it is dangerous when busses stop and trucks go hurtling by.
It will affect the quality of our rural lifestyle. It will be noisier than we currently endure. There are no footpaths for residents to walk along the street and when the trucks go past there is a buffering effect that is very dangerous. Our neighbour lost a dog hit by a speeding truck. The dust now is excessive, it will be worse with more truck movements. Extra noise with blasting. Our quality of life will be diminished. We have had near misses coming out of our driveway with the trucks coming around the bend at a fast pace. The quarry needs to build a rail line for transportation. Having trucks run 24 hours will immensely impead our quality of life. It will reduce the value of our properties. AGAINST THE EXPANSION

I oppose to the expansion - more traffic, more dangerous