Brandy Hill Expansion Project

I have very grave concerns about the major works project submitted by Hanson Quarry.
This is outrageous and so wrong if it goes ahead. I am a mother and grandmother. My grandchildren catch the bus on Brandy Hill Drive. This will be so dangerous with so many trucks driving on Brandy Hill Drive. The health problems associated with diesel fumes and dust. I have 2 in my household that have cronic asthma and this will be distastorous for them. Why does Hansen have to use Brandy Hill Drive surely being such a large project they could build roads that will not affect residents quality of life. This operation is going to be 24 hours a day . We will be sleep deprived and this is not short term, it is 30 years. I strongly object to this project being approved.

Submission opposed to Seaham Brandy Hill Quarry expansion.
By Darren Gilmour on behalf of the Gilmour family.

Human nature is such that many people affected by this proposal will not have the confidence or time in their busy lifestyles to voice their opposition in writing to this ludicrous proposal.
The recent meeting, despite not being well publicised, drew an extremely large crowd, and future meetings would draw on even more support as the details of this application begin to spread further within the small rural residential hamlet of Seaham/Brandy Hill.
A number of areas have been touched upon in the Report, which unfortunately displays bias towards the proponent Hanson. I acknowledge that it is common sense that any study or report initiated by or on the behalf of Hanson (or any other applicant for that matter), would be structured in such a way as to show minimal or no impact to the environment or community. To show any negative impact would jeopardise its approval, so why would they present any negative facts.
I am hopeful that the Department of Planning and Environment is not naive enough to see through this floored process, and recognise the concerning impacts of the application for what they really are, Massive to the community and the environment of Seaham/Brandy Hill.
My first comment is that if this submission is approved, it would see the scale of this facility increase to that of an Open Cut Mine, not the small quarry it currently operates as. This alone would be grossly negligent given the type area it is within and the proximity and effects the increased levels would have upon the community. Seham/Brandy Hill is a residential area, with NO other industry operating in the area apart from a few family operated, home based businesses suitable and in keeping with its rural residential outlook.
The Quarry was approved in 1983 and it is fair to say that even the current levels of production were not considered, given the approval contained an allowance for 27 Vehicle Movements a day. This figure is miles away from the current movements of around 340 vehicles per day and an increase of another 504 trucks per day to a total of 844 per day is almost laughable such is the scale of vehicle increase to what was projected as suitable to the area.
Traffic
As stated above, after the impact of traffic is considered, there should be no need to progress any further, such is the level of its magnitude. Visits to Brandy Hill may indeed show the current negative impact 340 vehicles has upon the community 5 days a week, however the increase to 844 trucks per day, will be devastating to the residents of the area. Residents already complain, so to approve more traffic, will be like a war zone out here.
Even studies by Hanson's independent consultant itself highlight this catastrophic increase in traffic flow. Again I stress the figures of 844, 100 feet long B Double vehicles, 844 !!!
Let's break this down, 844 B Doubles equate to 35.2 Trucks per hour or 1 heavy vehicle every minute and a half rumbling through your front yard. Do this exercise, Count to 90, there's a truck, and count to 90 there's a truck and so on for 24 hours a day 7 days a week. CATASTROPHIC!!! Who can live under those conditions?
To not consider this impact is grossly negligent and bordering on insanity. Apart from the mental PTSD like effect this volume of traffic would leave upon residents the physical damage and impact upon the area is definitely real. The roads are in a constant state of disrepair and that's on the lower present levels. People are regularly blowing tyres and destroying rims attempting to navigate through a continual myriad of dinosaur footprints resulting from heavy vehicle damage to pavements.
The procession of B Doubles even now destroy residents and visitors ability to Walk, Jog or Ride with a degree of safety and to allow 504 additional movements per day would result in further loss of amenity, which residents are entitled to. My children in their late teens have never ridden a bike in the area, such is the danger. Every week after the area's garbage is emptied, there are Wiz Bins blown over by the magnitude of the passing trucks.
Recent studies have also highlighted the link between diesel emissions and their carcinogens linked to some forms of cancer. This uncertainty surely means that 844 Diesel trucks per day should be kept out of this residential area.
If as the person considering this application, you asked yourself would you be happy with this volume of traffic and its impacts, flowing past your house the answer would be a categorical NO WAY.
Dust.
As a resident sharing a direct boundary with the Quarry, the impact of dust (irrespective of what Hanson's report states), is indeed certainly an issue. Even on present levels before allowing the mine to double or triple in size, our house spends the summer months especially with its westerly winds, absolutely covered in dust, from blasting and overburden. The concern highlighted in the report about Silica dust and its effects is of major concern. Even at its questionable levels, if there is a risk no matter how small to the residents, then this project should be stopped immediately and a thorough truly independent investigation into dust emissions undertaken. After reading the report, I am very concerned about even the current risk my family and other residents may be being exposed to, let alone greater risks.
Noise
I already touched upon the PTSD type condition 844 trucks would leave upon residents, but the expansion to a 24 hour 7 day operation must also be acknowledged as having a separate massive effect. The machinery already heard till late at night even on the smaller scale at present operating, will increase as the mine increases and the mine inches closer to residential housing. The creation of other operations within the mine such as a concrete plant can only also produce additional noise. With this in mind the expansion and increased production and additional activities within the mine should see this application rejected immediately.
Blasting
Almost on cue as I sit here writing this submission, the weekly blast makes my house shake. Additional blasting will obviously be necessary, but apart from its obvious noise impact, it makes one wonder what effect it will have upon the structural integrity of adjoining properties as it moves closer to us.
Repatriation
This area should also be repatriated to its original condition upon cessation of the mine. To consider that a rural residential area with its many families and native fauna and flora may be left with (as quoted) a 78 meter deep Toxic hole at the end of its production is ridiculous. This raping of the landscape has to stop, not to mention the effect these remnants have upon the water table. In another example of how these reports are questionable, they quoted that the mine has no effect on the Tomago Sand beds and the Shortland Wetlands. These are 30 to 40 km away for god sake. What about the Seaham wetlands and the Williams River and its catchment areas that adjoin the area. Talk about misinformation and conveniently not mentioned.
Buffer Zone
It is stated that the expansion will be hidden by trees and therefore out of view. This is comical as the mine even in its smaller level is already dumping overburden in plain view and exposure to local residents. Heaven help what the mine looks like going forward. They are obviously even now, uncontrolled and operate as they like.
Housing Prices
The devastating impact these areas of concern will have upon housing prices in the immediate vicinity and beyond are devastating. It is commonsense to think that any prospective buyer couldn't get back in their car quick enough if they witness such problems as Trucks, Dust storms, blasting or noise firsthand. Why should residents have their right to a fair price for their property removed and for what corporate profit?
Summary
Hanson has played the sympathy card, crying to the paper that they will close the mine if they don't get their approval accepted. NO residents of Seaham work in the Hanson Quarry and to be honest the removal of the 340 heavy vehicles and associated other impacts certainly brings Zero negatives to the residents of Seaham/Brandy Hill. Our air would be cleaner, it certainly would be quieter without the convoy of trucks and machinery running all day, people within the area might be able to undertake the type of activities most communities take for granted and you never know we might even get a fair market price for our properties.
As stated previously, Hanson already work outside their approved areas and despite constant barrages of complaint from local residents seem as though they are never bought to account, heaven knows what will happen if you approve this project with its massive scale.
The decision to reject this proposal categorically whilst not taken lightly is a No Brainer. No residential area should suffer the impact of such an application. They are mining gravel for heaven's sake, not some valuable mineral. Let them establish themselves in an area which has no impact upon residential communities.

We are very concerned about this development application from the Brandy Hill Quarry expansion. The NSW Government is right about it being significant because it will have a very significant effect on our lives in this area. Because we live on Seaham Road and we have to turn right into our turn off it is so dangerous with a truck and trailer coming up behind you at 90km an hour with no where for the truck to pass us safely while where turning in with out being rammed up the back end and being killed.

Last year we drove our car into Raymond Terrace and we hit a hole in the road which is being caused by all the trucks with trailers loaded with gravel breaking the road up in really bad weather. After damaging the front of our car quite badly after hitting the hole the repair bill was over $800. I rang Port Stehphens council and they told me 9 times our of 10 we will not pay you for any damage caused by our roads so in other words we are on our own..... Great help..... not. Our son catches the school bus just near Brandy Hill drive turn off on Seaham Road it is so dangerous for him and other children of all ages to cross over Seaham Road after getting off the bus. These children are forced to run the gauntlet every afternoon crossing the road. With the expansion of hundreds more trucks per day from Brandy Hill quarry and Martins Creek quarry running 24/7 there's is no hope for these children to stay alive from much longer it is a death trap altogether for them and anyone driving there cars on any of our local roads from now on. I known money is more important then anything else so this state significant development application should go through with flying colours sadly going by history and greed.

I have been an employee with Hanson at Brandy Hill Quarry since 1987 in different position within the company from an operator through to management. This company should be commended on their safe operation including care for the environment, local residents, employees and their working within guidelines set by authorities. During my employment the company and employees have always been working well with local residents to ensure that we can all get along together and maintain a good relationship. I strongly support the expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry and know that the company will do all it can to continue a strong working relationship with local residents and care for the environment as the requirement for Quarry Materials continues to grow as building and infrastructure work continues to ramp up around the state.

Director
Resource Assessments Planning Services
NSW Department of Planning & Environment
GPO Box 39
SYDNEY NSW 2001


RE: SUBMISSION ON BRANDY HILL QUARRY EXTENSION

As the Member for Port Stephens I have been contacted by a number of residents who have raised concerns regarding the proposed expansion of Brandy Hill Quarry, which is in my electorate of Port Stephens.

On 22 March 2017 I attended a public meeting at Raymond Terrace Bowling Club with approximately 150 concerned residents and heard from community representatives and the many people who voiced concerns at that meeting.

Significant increase in truck movements

The proponent's Environmental Impact Assessment details that the current operation of the Brandy Hill Quarry generates 150 truck movements per day. Residents have calculated that should the proposed expansion occur then up to 844 truck movements per day could be experienced on local roads.

Residents already hold concerns about the existing level of truck movements, including: safety concerns about the condition of local roads; the impact of additional trucks on already poor roads; noise and dust impacts; lack of a safe verge for pedestrian or cyclist use; lack of room for school buses to pull-off the Brandy Hill Drv compromising school students' safety.

Noise pollution

Blasting, grinding and compression breaking are just some of the forms of noise pollution generated by the operation of Brandy Hill Quarry.
Any expansion of the operation of Brandy Hill Quarry will likely exacerbate the existing noise concerns of the neighbouring residents.

Should the expansion of the Brandy Hill Quarry be approved, residents have proposed a number of sensible changes to the operation to better control noise pollution, including the notification of neighbouring residents prior to any blasting activity and the limiting of machinery noise in the evening to minimise disruption to neighbours.

24 hour operation

The move to 24 hour operation is a significant concern to residents who have considered themselves to be accommodating neighbours to the existing quarry.

Residents are currently comforted that noise from the quarry is heavily limited in the evening which allows residents a level of amenity and minimises overnight disruptions to families.

Should 24 hour operations be approved it will have a substantial negative impact on surrounding residents and their quality of life.

Cumulative impact of quarry development

The impact of this development application on local residents and roads should be viewed in conjunction with the proposed impact of the Martins Creek Quarry project which, if approved to expand its operation, would utilise a network of local roads which overlaps the roads used by the Brandy Hill Quarry.

In assessing the impact of this development on the environment, on roads and on residents I call on the Planning Assessment Commission to consider the cumulative impact of surrounding developments.

Concluding comments

Given the current operations of the Brandy Hill Quarry already impacts negatively on residents' quality of life, the proposed expansion of operation is of great concern. The rural residential areas of Brandy Hill and Seaham are idyllic places of peaceful retreat. The increased operations pose an unacceptable threat to the lifestyle that residents live in the area for. On behalf of those that I represent, there is no objection to the current quarry operations. I share residents concerns about safety and impacts on quality of life and object to the proposal in its current form.


Should you have any questions about this submission please do not hesitate to contact me on 4987 4455 or [email protected]

Yours sincerely

Kate Washington MP
Member for Port Stephens

I live on Giles Road and suffer asthma. The current air and dust pollutants from the quarry and its potential toxicity and impact on both my health and others is already of concern, yet alone with a significant increase in production as is currently proposed. I live on a hill and regularly see dust plumes from the quarry. The quality and number of air monitoring stations is already limited. What will the extension of quarry resources, including putting in a concrete plant and the resultant potential toxic air pollutants do to my health and others? Increasing quarry capacity is only going to increase potential pollutants and decrease air quality in the area.
I am also highly concerned about the proposed 24 hour operations and trucking movements that will lead to an increase in traffic, noise, dust, and diesel emissions. I, along with many others within the area rely upon Brandy Hill Drive daily as a means to access both work and shopping facilities. As both a driver and a motorcycle rider, the state of the road is already of concern due to the already high amount of heavy vehicle passage which has caused continued damage to the road. Nearly every week the road is having to be repaired. Pot holes have often caused dangerous situations along this road for me along with potential damage to any vehicle that relies upon this road for their daily commute.
Brandy Hill Drive and Clarencetown Road are already extremely busy rural roads. There is already a road safety issue along here. Increasing heavy vehicle traffic movements and the cumulative transport impact of just under 1000 trucks a day with the Brandy Hill and Martins Creek Quarry is mind-boggling. The road cannot sustain that many movements safely.

We came to Brandy Hill for a quiet country life style - for our family,
This residential suburb is not a suitable place to be running big truck 24hrs a day, not to mention the condition of the single lane road and poor condition, Outside of our property there is an open drain we have to cross to enter the property it has been flooded 4 time in the last two years, the water floods onto the road as well as our entrance, at 80kl/hr and you cant always see this water on the road day or night, I would hate to think what would happen if one of these trucks hit the water and became out of control.
The noise from the trucks, wakes us now before 6am, we have to close the windows, imagine that all night, how can anyone sleep, our quality of life will be gone, we cant go for walks now on Brandy Hill Drive, its impossible and dangerous
We don't have footpaths.
How would we get out of our properties to use the road for work, shopping etc, we would need traffic lights, it will be so busy,
I would suggest maybe consider trains to ship the gravel, in daylight
NOT a Residential country Road, That is not even a great road for Residents, pot holes and the road kill on this road has increased already, we have a Koala corridor along the back of the properties, we have already had injured Koalas that have wandered onto the road,
This is going to end up like an open cut mine in suburbia, how stupid is that,
How will the Children get on and off the school buses, we don't have laybys for the buses to stop, the road isn't wide enough and the roads will be so busy can you imagine them trying to cross the road, someone will get killed.
Imagine coming home from work and trying to turn into your property in your car, waiting for the trucks to go by, and the truck coming up behind you, will he see you in time and slow down, so you can safely enter your property.
God Help Us, this cant be allowed.

I fully support the intent of the quarry expanding and providing ongoing employment for the local area.
I note that there has been a significant amount of false allegations and misleading media from both public and political representatives.

I do however feel that the contributions from the Hanson towards maintenance of Brandy Hill Dr should be considered and directed to such works.

I am also concerned that the proposed lack of upgrades to the quarry/Clarance Town Rd/Brandy Hill Dr is likely to cause incidents moving forward. The visibility from the northern side of Clarence Town Rd is limited and needs to be addressed to manage the increased traffic.

To whom it may concern.

Thank you for the opportunity for us, the community, to make a submission on the proposed extension to Brandy Hill Quarry.

The Quarry has been a mainstay of the community for several years. I understand the Quarry currently has a positive record in regards to community complaints. Indeed, Brandy Hill would not exist if it was not for the Quarry.

The significance of this extension should be considered a positive move by Hanson (the Company) - that they are willing to invest further in our region to bring jobs, stability and deliver additional product to the market, where needed.

Of course this extension will have an impact on noise, dust and traffic amongst other concerns; all of which the Company appear to have covered in their EIS - I trust the Department will consider these areas covered in a reasonable manner. I urge all those involved to not be swayed by the mis-informed, vocal minority who purport to represent the Brandy Hill community.

The Company has shown in the past that they are good corporate citizens - particularly as recent as last year when they supplied gravel to a vast range of local residents to fill their driveways that had been washed away during a large flood event. Furthermore, the Company has supported local sporting teams and venues throughout the years.

Given the above, I expect the Company would be more than willing to contribute to reasonable upgrades required and general upkeep of the main roadways when this project is approved (via a VPA or similar arrangement?). I mention "reasonable" as I personally deem an entire bicycle track/walking track overly excessive for this area. Reasonable measures, I believe, should include road upgrades to bring Brandy Hill drive and intersections up to high standard roads which will limit pot holes and general wear. Furthermore, the intersection of Brandy Hill Dr and Clarence Town Rd should be considered for a safety review, especially due to the crest coming from the eastern approach. Finally, I would ask if a review of bus drop-off zones be undertaken to either widen add areas that are appropriate.

Kind regards

Andrew Nicholas

This 24hr expansion is a bad idea, this will effect myself and the
Community in a negative way, with more rock blasting that shakes our homes, the deafening noise created by trucks during the day is set to impose a even worse noise at night as their trailers bounce around on our bumpy roads that are falling apart.
Our infrastructure cannot handle the extra trucks on our local rural roads that are already devastated by the gravel trucks. This a expansion is unnessary and will have minimal to not benefits for the local community. Our once peaceful homes are set to be underthreat by an expanding quarrie that was once a small privately run business. This will impact in people's lives loosing sleep and falling property.

I oppose the proposed development at the Brandy Hill Quarry in its current form and provide the following questions and recommendations based on the environmental impact statement.

As stated in the EIS, the concrete batching plant will not be required for another 10 years, so it should be handled under a separate development application at that time, as the standard lapse period on a consent is only 5 years. this would ensure that community expectations and planning controls at the time of construction are relevant, rather than acting on an out of date consent.

The land is identified as bushfire prone land in Port Stephens LEP 2013 and as such the application would need to be referred to the Rural Fire Service as integrated development. A bushfire threat assessment would need to be undertaken to support this application. The applicant saying that in their opinion there is no bush fire threat is simply not enough.
The assumption that water quantity will not increase is incorrect. With the stripping of vegetation from further parts of the site, time of concentration is shortened, which means that for some storm events, flows will increase dramatically. The applicant should submit detailed stormwater calculations for pre and post developed scenarios to show this. The calculations shown are incomplete and misleading.
With regard to traffic, based on the applicant's numbers of 524 vtpd and up to 25 % heavy vehicles, the level of service on Clarence Town Road and Brandy Hill Drive would drop from B to Level C. The percentages for heavy vehicles seem low and need some justification.

The traffic impact assessment failed to consider the effect on pavements of a significant increase in design equivalent standard axles. Considering the life span of the pavements will be significantly shortened due to the exponential increase in design equivalent standard axles, the service life of the roads will be significantly shortened. Brandy Hill drive is already experiencing a number of failure modes along its length, such as delamination, rutting, shoving at intersections and potholing. State and local governments should ask the applicant to provide the full effect on the pavement of the increased vehicles movements and accordingly work out who will be paying to upgrade the pavement or replace it now that the service life will be drastically shortened.

We object to the Brandy Hill Quarry expansion because:-
- The road infrastructure in the area is inadequate to carry the increased traffic volumes safely
- twenty four hour operation is inconsiderate of the residents surrounding the quarry - we are entitled to our sleep!
- the concrete recycling plant belongs in an industrial area and is not suited to this area

Given both Daracon and Hanson are requesting to expand, I believe the applications should be considered jointly and both should be restricted to more reasonable hours of operation ie 7am to 6pm Mon to Fri and 7am to 1pm on Sat. Sunday is a day of rest so let us show some respect to the surrounding residential areas.

I wish to express my sincere and complete objection to the proposed extension of the Brandy Hill Quarry.

As a resident of Brandy Hill it is clear that the existing road infrastructure of the area (Brandy Hill Drive and Seaham Road) will not be suitable for the extreme volume of truck traffic should this extension be approved. It threatens the safety of all residents on both these roads, and of those, like myself, attempting to enter and leave them from adjoining side streets. Maintenance of the road surface should also be scrutinised. Port Stephens council is barely able to maintain these roads with the current truck movements, so what state will they be in after a month of 24 hour truck traffic?

I am also concerned that the high number of trucks threatens the safety of pedestrians, many of them children, waiting at several bus stops on the shoulder of Brandy Hill Drive in the mornings, and once they alight from buses in the afternoons. Many trucks I have encountered while on these roads drive in an aggressive manner, often tailgating myself and other cars. I believe this will only get worse if the quarry is allowed to expand operations. A lot of the trucks are unmarked, driven by subcontractors rather than Hanson employees, so reporting dangerous driving can be difficult.

Most Brandy Hill residents, my family included, moved here for its peace and tranquillity. Should 24-hour operations be allowed, the peaceful lifestyle of this quiet suburb will be lost forever. I should stress that the current truck level is perfectly acceptable. It is within reasonable hours, when most residents are awake and at work or school. What I do object to is loud trucks being allowed to travel along Brandy Hill Drive in the middle of the night. Undoubtedly this would wake those living on the main road but the noise would also echo to disturb everyone in the side streets and in general ruin the serene atmosphere that makes Brandy Hill so great.

There are many other factors to consider but I hope I have drawn attention to the risk this extension poses to the safety of Brandy Hill residnets and how it will impact on the peace and quiet we have grown accustomed to.

I live quite close to the quarry, close enough to hear it operating and close enough to have felt blasting. I drive daily on the same roads as the trucks, thus I & my family are directly affected by the quarry operations.

I note that I have lived in this area prior to Hanson's arrival.

My primary concerns are hours of operation & volume of traffic. I understand Hanson's argument that long hours are needed for maximum profits. However, I feel that I and other residents of this rural area should not be subjected to truck and plant noise from 5am to midnight or 1am every day but Sunday. This is completely incompatible with the amenity sought from living in a rural area. 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday, with perhaps some daytime activity Saturday 8am- 1pm would be more suitable maximum operating hours for the area.
The number of trucks also appears too high. 66vtph is more than one truck PER MINUTE. While Clarence Town road may manage this there is no way that this many trucks can proceed through Adelaide St Raymond Terrace and onto the Pacific Highway without extremely serious traffic congestion. It's already quite a drive to anywhere from Seaham and having 66 trucks per hour congesting the roads is not an acceptable proposal.

I don't oppose the quarry expanding the area it operates within (I'll leave it to the conscience of dept planning staff to approve clearing 48 Ha of confirmed Koala habitat). However, I feel strongly that the rate of production should be kept at existing levels, or increased by say 10%, rather than doubled, as proposed. Hours of operation should also be limited as outlined above

I thanks you for consideration of my concerns and the very real direct impact of the proposal on my life.

I live along Giles Rd and moved to the area just over two years ago to give my young family the experience of quality and healthy rural living in a strong community. Living on Giles Road allows us the feeling of being rural, whilst also being part of a wonderful community with an easy commute to Newcastle. Our oldest child goes to Seaham preschool and will be going to Seaham Public in 2018.

As residents of Giles Road, we already live "on the doorstep" of Brandy Hill Quarry. We bought into this street knowing of the Quarry's operations, but were lead to believe, as many residents of the area have told us, that the Quarry would be `wrapping up' operations in the near future due to coming to the end of its 30 year licence.

Increasing the Quarry's operations, resources and including a concrete plant is extremely concerning. Putting in such extensive industry in an already highly populated rural area is deeply worrying.

We already feel and hear the quarry operations - including explosions and crushing and feel the vibrations within our house. These noises are not from Jets or planes flying over the area as we have a very clear vantage point for these. These operational noises, vibrations and blasting are clearly from the quarry.

I am also already becoming increasingly concerned about the regular dust plumes we see over the quarry. Just two weeks ago, the dust plume over the quarry was so extensive that it cast a glow into the night sky on twilight, giving the area an almost apocalyptic feeling. I am concerned that these fine dust particles can travel wind currents extensively and am aware that the current air quality monitoring stations in use for the quarry are already questionable or not enough in number.

I am concerned how this dust, its pollutants and potential toxicity might impact on my family's health. As our water is tank water, how can I be assured that these fine dust particles aren't going into my drinking water, or lying on my children's outdoor play equipment and potentially being digested?
I commute daily to Newcastle City and travel along Brandy Hill Drive through to Raymond Terrace at all hours of the day due to my shift work roster. The proposed increase to 24 hour operations and increased trucking movements will drastically escalate already dangerous traffic and road safety issues, along with increasing noise, dust and diesel emissions. Brandy Hill Drive and Clarencetown Road are already extremely busy rural roads and the physical condition of the road is already poor and poses road safety issues. There are numerous dangerous pot-holes that are regularly having to be fixed and there is significant road edge erosion on these roads. I am greatly concerned about the cumulative transport impact associated with the proposal of the Brandy Hill Quarry and the proposed Martins Creek Quarry. The estimated combined daily total of 988 quarry trucks on Brandy Hill Drive alone is shocking for a road with numerous school bus stops and high residential usage.

I am also concerned on what this extension will do to the visual and real estate potential of the area. House values will certainly be affected if air quality diminishes, noise disturbances increase and heavy industry is allowed to operate 24/7.

I moved my young family to this area to enjoy the high quality of amenities that the area and its communities had to offer. Clean air, safe roads and a healthy environment should not be in question. The potential impact that increasing quarry resources, hours and operations will have on our health, our community and the lifestyle we currently enjoy is deeply worrying.

We have co-existed with Brandy Hill quarry for the past 24 years. Whilst there have been times when the flow of trucks, rattling of the house and windows due to blasting, dust and noise have been a concern to our lifestyle they have been at spaced intervals and did not impact on our life, livelihood or lifestyle to an intolerable degree. However the proposal of Brandy Hill quarry to seek permission to increase production to 1.5mtpa and operate on a 24/7 basis cannot be tolerated due to the massive impact it would have on the health and wellbeing of our family.

Point 1 - TRUCK TRAFFIC FLOW
We have seen via the EIS that production will increase the flow of trucks down our road by 544 trucks per day equating to an average of 4 trucks per minute. Brandy Hill Drive was constructed about 30 years ago as a haulage road with minimal traffic either from the quarry it serviced or the local rural community. it has had very few upgrades in that time despite the increase of traffic from the quarry and the spread of rural housing estates in the Port Stephens and Dungog Council areas. Brandy Hill Drive is now a main thoroughfare from Raymond Terrace to Paterson, Dunns Creek and Martins Creek. Compounding this problem impacting both lifestyle and safety has been the increase in traffic from the Daracon Martins Creek quarry trucks using Brandy Hill Drive. They too have applied for increased operation which could effectively double the 4 per minute truck traffic to 8 per minute. This would prevent safe entry onto the road from driveways, or increase the risk of accidents from people trying to turn into their driveways. Our own driveway would be affected in this manner.
There are many areas of the road where narrow edges or blind corners already make this an issue. One can only speculate what may eventuate if this was allowed to proceed. There isn't even enough shoulder on the roads to pull to the left to alleviate some of the accident risk of sitting in the middle of the road waiting to turn right. We understand that part of the problem could be negated if Daracon were forced to use the Rail corridor for transport of their quarry product rather than road transport, but that issue has not yet been resolved and we can only base this objection on the worst case scenario at this point. Therefore if both proposals are allowed to proceed due to each being viewed separately, then our issues with Hanson's expansions only become more pressing from a safety perspective.
The road is not only insufficient for the increased traffic flow from the quarry, but is at present completely inadequate for the school buses to safely perform pick up and drop off for students from K - Y12. Increased truck flow of potentially fully laden B-double trucks during school bus pick up and drop off times is a recipe for disaster! There are about 10 bus stop bays along our road, none of which adequately provide a safe area beyond the roadside to wait, let alone a safe walking passage to get to it. At the present flow of trucks along the road, getting to the school bus and waiting for pick up is extremely hazardous. Children under 10 year of age do not have a sense of distance, hazard perception or decision making. This means that the hazard of traversing the roadside, crossing to the pick up zone and waiting safely for the bus is fraught with danger. Add to that the issues for the bus to adequately and safely pull off the road and out of the traffic to pick up and drop off where there are gullies or drains with steep sides often concealed by long grass. For those reasons many parents choose to drive their children to the bus stop thus creating another problem as there is no area for the car to pull off the road and leave space for the bus.
PROPOSED SOLUTION -
These issues could be alleviated by the inclusion of requirements for Hanson to provide upgrades to the road, or payment to the Port Stephens Council for improvements to the road, edges and bus stops, improved sight lines on blind corners and intersections and perhaps a further reduction in the road current 80kph speed limit. We are aware that a system presently exists between the quarry and P.S.C, but that there is no regulation or accountability of the meagre funds collected. this should be included in the licencing so funds are directed to the projects for which it has been collected.

Point 2 - HOURS OF OPERATION
We find it completely incomprehensible that the Brandy Hill quarry would require to undertake a 24/7 operation and that they could be granted approval for such. We agree that the product extracted from the quarry is a 'sort after' requirement for improvements to community needs and infrastructure all over the State. We also agree that demand at times might equate to a constant production, but to licence Hanson to choose to operate at this level would destroy the rural lifestyle we and many others moved to the area to enjoy. In the past Hanson have been suitably community minded and respected the residents of the area, restricting their operating hours to reasonable hours which minimise the impact to residents. However if the licence for 24/7 operation was granted, what safe guard might there be if Hanson were to sell to another operator with no such community conscience. To live in such close proximity to an unending noise from the crushing machine, procession of rumbling trucks throughout the night, more frequent blasting and a higher degree of dust is not what the area reflects as a lifestyle.
Not only would it negatively impact on the amenity of the area, (it is Residential R2) but also the general health and wellbeing of residents. Up till now the peaceful, country lifestyle has at least been able to be enjoyed during the weekends when most of the residents are home. In fact, that is exactly as we have done with our family for 24 years, the reason we moved to the area! It has provided us with the stress relief and quiet 'downtime' necessary to recharge from a hectic week's work. With the quarry operating and running truck deliveries through the night and all weekend it will preventistress relief, create anxiety and sleep deprivation and no doubt all the physical ailments which accompany that as documented now by medical science. Yes we could move, but our property would be devalued and our conscience would be forever guilt ridden when considering the poor person who might purchase it and what they might have to endure. It would not sit well with us to pass on known problems.
PROPOSED SOLUTION -
Limit the hours of licence operation to a recommended Monday to Friday 6am to 8pm, Saturday 7am to 6pm and Closed Sunday. Special approval could be sort to extend the hours in time of need to hours not commencing earlier that 6am on any day and finishing not later that 10pm, no Sunday operation and for an extended period of no longer than 1 month. These could be times such as during times of natural disaster as during the April Super storm of 2015. Surely Hanson does not need to extract all the material in a quick time.

We wish to add that under no circumstance have we ever sought to close the operation of the quarry altogether. It has been a vital industry in the area and generous supporter of the local primary school and sporting groups. As previously stated, we have lived happily co-existing for over 24 years, but during that time have seen an increase in the traffic dangers preventing walking along the roadside - unfortunately there is no pathway, cycleway or shoulders in some areas - for health and wellness or moving around the neighbourhood. Years ago when when we first moved to the area we could happily allow our children to visit their friends in the neighbourhood or ride a bike along the road, especially at weekends. We would never consider allowing children or young adults to walk along the side of the road during heavy quarry traffic times now. It is purely by good luck that a fatality has not yet occurred. Especially at the intersection of Clarence Town Road and Brandy Hill Drive. This is opposite the entrance to the quarry with considerable traffic on Clarence Town Road over which the loaded trucks must cross. There is limited vision from the Seaham side (left of trucks) and approaching traffic has only seconds to see and respond to a fully loaded B-double crossing in front of them. This intersection needs attention even now to add flashing lights 'Trucks Crossing" as the truck exits the driveway, or better still for the road to have the crest removed to allow better vision for all vehicles.

We also wish to make the point that the creation of 5 extra jobs as indicated in the EIS for a total of 31 employees cannot count as more important in an economic sense than the health and safety of hundreds of residents and road users. If tonnage and hours of operation are restricted to levels which can allow continued co-existence then many more people will benefit. Life will continue with everyone having their basic needs met.

We trust the Department of Planning will not grant Hanson the proposed upgrade to the Brand Hill quarry production without due consideration of the negative impact to the residents and community. A licence which finds a "middle ground" must be the eventual common sense outcome.

I wish to lodge my objection to the Brandy Hill Quarry Expansion application.
Brandy Hill and it's surrounds are a green, rural residential area with low density housing and thick wooded areas. It is a refuge for native wildlife including wallabies, koalas, harriers, numerous species of owl including powerful and masked owls, quolls, phascogales, gliders and bats to name a few. Many of these animals are dusk and dawn feeders, put in particular risk by extended hours of increased haulage on surrounding roads.
My family has lived in Brandy Hill since 1989, and have seen a massive increase over this time in the number of trucks on the roads, and the negative impacts it has made on the roads and to the amenity of residents. Any further increase in production, hours and truck movements will unreasonably impact on residents and road users. Combined with other extractive/haulage industries in the area such as the Martin's Creek Quarry the cumulative haulage effects will seriously impact on the quality of life for the residents of Brandy Hill and surrounds.
Brandy Hill Drive consists of a number of rises, falls and bends, with numerous streets entering and exiting along the sides, as well as numerous driveways directly onto the road. Some of these driveways run parallel to Brandy Hill Drive which means cars entering the drive ways from the opposite direction need to slow right down to, in effect, do a u-turn as they enter their driveway. Likewise when exiting their driveway they need to do a u-turn type manoeuvre if going in the opposite direction. I personally have experienced trucks bearing down on me whilst turning into driveways, as well as a close call with a quarry truck when exiting in this manner and momentarily stalling my new car, with nowhere else to go and trucks travelling at 80km an hour it is an accident waiting to happen. More truck movements increase this risk.
The roads were never designed to sustain this level of truck activity. The lack of room on the sides of the road makes day to day activities such as using a school bus, walking the dog, collecting rubbish and entering and exiting driveways a risky activity, with fully laden trucks hurtling past at 80kms an hour, especially with up to 100 trucks per hour. The higher the number of trucks, the higher the risk. The physical condition of the road is impacted by heavy vehicle usage with locals and surrounding communities often complaining of potholes and uneven surfaces. These surfaces also impact on the amount of noise emitted from trucks as they clang, thump and bounce down the roads. The noise from the trucks as they bounce down the road can be felt as well as heard, with 6am wake ups already a common occurrence for many residents.
The general advice for those who oppose the development is to `just move', this doesn't take into consideration the history of these residents. The family picnics that happened on the bare block of land before the house was built, the residents who handmade the compressed earth bricks to make the walls of their houses, the residents who raised their children, whose grown child gave birth in their house, the marriage proposal and wedding that occurred at that house. Nor does it recognise the massive growth in truck movements that has occurred over the years, which frankly has occurred with little opposition from the majority of residents.
By applying for such a large increase of the amount of truck movements, and times in which they can operate and haul products, Hanson has shown an absolute disregard for the residents of the immediate and wider area. It is unreasonable to expect these residents to experience such a negative impact on their daily lives.

I am a regular visitor to the Seaham and Brandy Hill Area to visit family and friends and take advantage of the excellent amenities that the area has to offer, like a wonderful Children's park, doctor's surgery and wetlands. I am a mother to two young children and I am worried about the Brandy Hill Quarry expansion.
The cumulative impact of increasing Brandy Hill Quarry's capacity and resources along with Martin's Creek Quarry is highly concerning. The socio-economic impact including dust, noise and vibration presents a health concern in an area that is burgeoning with families and children. The environmental impact and potential financial impact on house values and amenities in the area can also not be underestimated.
There is already a high volume of heavy vehicle and residential traffic along Brandy Hill Drive and Clarencetown Roads. These roads act as a main thoroughfare for many road users, like myself, who utilize them to access Morpeth, Maitland and surrounds. These roads also have several school bus stops. The state of the road, the high incidence of potholes that are frequently having to be repaired and the speed of vehicles (80-100km per hour) already raises safety concerns. The Brandy Hill Quarry's proposal of extending their services, increasing their hours of operation and drastically increasing their truck movement capacity will put substantial pressure on an already dangerous rural road. Increasing Quarry operations to 24/7 will also see the already substantial volume of heavy vehicle traffic be at all hours of the day. I am concerned and oppose increasing the Quarry's resources, operations and hours due to valid health, safety and environmental concerns.

I oppose the proposed expansion of the Brandy Hill quarry. The proposal to extend operations to 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and have a maximum product movement of 524 truck loads per day with a whopping 150 truck movements per hour at peak times is completely unreasonable and unacceptable. These truck movements, if approved, would be in addition to the existing and proposed increased truck movements from the Martins Creek quarry, many of which travel the same routes as the trucks from the Brandy Hill quarry. The rural road network was never designed nor constructed to support traffic of this intensity and weight. The amenity of residents on and near the roads travelled by the trucks would be destroyed and property values severely impacted.

Roads and environment and river can not handle that amount of trucks not to mention the children trying to cross the roads as we have 5 children who have to cross the road daily for school bus. Safety for the cars on the road with that many trucks a day.
24 hours a day has to be departmental to all our sleep pattern and health.
The studies on diesel suggest same as asbestos cancer.
The destroying of the land and the hole that is 78 mtr below sea level to become a toxic waste.