Martins Creek Quarry Project

Our main concern with the Quarry is the quality of the runoff water from the Quarry . We have creeks running from the Quarry , through our property and then to the Paterson River. We have noticed a dramatic increase in silt levels (evidenced in the gradual filling in of a dam) and a white substance coating the edges of the creek. Whilst these creeks mainly run during wet weather, we have noticed that the volume of water has increased significantly as the Quarry has grown.
Truck movements are another issue that concerns us. There is a great variety of heavy vehicles that use our roads - you name it we see it. However, not all are associated with the Quarry ( I personally find 4wd's towing horse floats the biggest worry!). On the whole, truck drivers are OK - there are mavericks in any industry. The maintenance and upgrading of our roads is always behind in quality and foresight. Is this the fault of the Quarry or a lack of input from Local and State Governments? This question has been debated for years. Maybe some cooperation is need here. The proposed new intersection on Dungog Road would be a greater concern for us. This section of road is unsuitable for an intersection of this size and type. We would be interested to know the reaction of the RMS to this proposal. I don't know that more rail movements will solve this problem - people will then complain about the inconvenience of the level crossing being closed! However, I do feel for those residents who are affected by excess noise early in the mornings.
We have been in the area for nearly forty years , and have never had a problem with noise from the Quarry , including blasting. Hopefully this won't change with any future development ! Of course, there is noise, but I find it good to know that people are working ,being paid and contributing to our community. We are always warned about any blasting by the sirens sounding - our dog always joins in by howling. Our home is over 35 years old, so it is difficult to say whether any cracks etc are as a result of blasting or from natural aging.
The expansion of Martins Creek Quarry is an emotive one in our community , and has been with every development since it was opened over a hundred or so years ago. Commerce verses 'lifestyle' , there is never an easy solution. Hopefully commonsense, cool heads and cooperation will prevail.

I have been employed with Daracon for 5 years and have enjoyed the stable employment it provides. Martins Creek Quarry is a big part of our organisation and it supports many of the infrastructure jobs we undertake.

The Success of the quarry helps maintain the jobs of over 850 employees and over 1000 contractors and their families.

The company is a supporter of local communities and charities.

I oppose to the application of Martins Creek quarry as it is affecting my wellbeing. I have been a resident at Bolwarra Heights for sometime and the amount of noise,pollution and road damage is already beyond the acceptable level. The proposal to expand the tonnage to 1.5 million will only increase the congestion in this semi rural area. I would strongly suggest the NSW department of planning & environment limit the operating hours to 7 am to 4:30 Monday to Friday and enforce. Heavy fines for any truck speeding more the allowable. 40 km and monitor the truck movement on a regular basis. Thank you
for listening to my voice And for the benefit of a greater

community than just a gain for certain organisation.

I have not made a reportable political donation

See attached document

I have worked for Daracon for the past 3 years, and they have supported me with full time employment and a stable job.
The success of the quarry helps to maintain the jobs of 850 employees and over 100 contractors and there families.
Without the quarrys operations, job stability may not be as good as it is for me now

See below attachment

I have worked for Workforce, and have been contracted to Daracon for the last year, providing a stable employment opportunity.
I know that outside of Daracons projects, the Quarry provides materials for many other companies conducting infrastructure works in the area, and the closure of the quarry could lead to a downturn in work for the local area.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion.
The following points summarise the reasons I have for opposing the expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry:
* The detrimental effect of the quarry and its gravel trucks on our local roads and residents
- even more damage to the road surface
- more damage to cars from gravel falling from the quarry trucks. I have replaced 3 windscreens in the past 12 months which were damaged from rocks I saw falling directly from Daracon trucks. How long will it be before my insurance company raises the cost of my policy?
- difficulty in gaining safe vehicle access onto the main road through Paterson at particular times due to the number of trucks.
- difficulty in safely crossing the road as a pedestrian. How difficult will this become for our very young, more elderly and infirm residents to access Paterson's businesses and services? I recently experienced isolation from the town's facilities myself during recovery from knee replacement surgery. As part of my rehabilitation I needed to walk but unfortunately I felt I couldn't safely cross the main road in Paterson at a fast enough pace.
- the noise from the trucks often wakes me and my family early in the morning. To give an example of the severity of the noise from the trucks we often have mistaken the sound of the trucks for a rumble of thunder. The quarry might not be open until 7am but trucks are presently moving through Paterson before 6am.
- the amount of dust that settles on everything in our property has increased during the course of our time living in Paterson. This visible coating is of concern as we are obviously taking this dust into our lungs as we breathe.

Authentic testing needs to be carried out to quantify residents' concerns. Daracon have obviously managed to skew previous testing of dust, noise and traffic movements by making changes to their operations during publicized testing periods. To gather more accurate information the monitoring period for relevant factors related to the quarry's present output and its effects on the community needs to be extended and conducted without notice.

Daracon's approach to solving Paterson's issues with trucks moving safely through our town only serves Daracon's purposes. Removing our already scarce parking spaces to widen the road to allow two quarry trucks to pass safely at the tight intersections is hardly a solution that any resident is going to welcome. We live here. We support our local businesses and services and that requires space for vehicles to park. School children are dropped off and picked up, prior to bus travel, by car which requires safe parking spaces. Widening the road and installing barriers only makes life difficult for local road users. The barrier at the intersection with King Street actually prevents me from accessing my street.
Perhaps Daracon could design a communication or management system for their drivers which prevents two trucks from actually being on the intersection at the same time? Simple solution - you're not disrupting my town and taking away from what we have for the benefit of Daracon.

I don't want the quarry at Martins Creek to close but I do not want it to be given permission to increase its output. The quarry needs to be held accountable for its effect on the local community. Daracon needs to be independently monitored to ensure they are adhering to the conditions of their original approval.

To Whom it May Concern,

I have lived on Merchants Road, Martins Creek on an 80 acre property for 16 years. In that time I have established an animal sanctuary, and am working towards rehabilitating the remnant native vegetation across most of my property, including a stand of Eucalyptus glaucina on the ridgeline.
My land adjoins the quarry, and I commute daily into Paterson and weekly into Maitland through Paterson. Paterson is the closed township where I am able to access food, fuel and other supplies.

My concerns regarding the Quarry are as follows:

* I am concerned about the quantity of trucks travelling on the Dungog Road through the township of Paterson. The number of trucks proposed both impact the road quality and the safely and amenity of other road users. I don't feel that the impacts on roads in this area have been sufficiently mitigated, and frequently find myself concerned by the current quarry trucks. The proponent should be required to mitigate existing impacts on roads, and not allowed to increase those impacts.

* I am very concerned by the impacts of the project on my property, where the project adjoins my property. No attempts have been made by Daracon to provide a vegetation buffer, appropriate fencing or any other mitigation measure to ensure impacts to my land are avoided, minimised or mitigated. Without proper management of the project boundaries, weed seeds are being allowed to disperse into my property, impacting an area I am working hard to rehabilitate. To date they have already demonstrated their lack of interest in being good neighbours, and if they are allowed to expand the quarry, their lack of regard will only continue. At no point have Daracon contacted me regarding the impacts of the project on my property.

* The proponent has not adequately justified the impacts associated with an increased project on the vulnerable Eucalyptus glaucina which is present on that ridgeline or on Koalas which have been sighted on that ridgeline.

* The township of Martins Creeks is picturesque. The visual impact of the proposed noise wall will significantly affect the visual amenity of the town, and has the potential to impact on movements of native fauna in the area.

* The fact that Daracon have expanded their operations beyond the original provisions is evidence of their complete disregard for approval conditions and the local community. How, in the light of that, can we be assured that they will comply with any new conditions of approval?

While I support the proposal to update the approval conditions, and allow the project to fulfil it's original approval, the evidence provided in the EIS does not justify the impacts on visual and noise amenity, roads and traffic or ecological communities that would occur as the result of expanded operations.

I ask that the Department of Planning and Environment do the right thing by the ecology of the region and by the residents of Martins Creek and Paterson, and not approve an expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry.

Yours Sincerely,

Kathy Isherwood

The expansion of martins creek quarry will have a devastating affect on not only the roads (that are already in a state of disarray and almost un-drivable) but it will have an adverse affect on the quality of live of the owners of surrounding properties and also people in close proximity to the quarry.

Furthermore the affect this expansion will have on not only our property values will be catastrophic, as when these properties were sold: a) there was no quarry there, b) we were assured that there was a strict limit to the size the quarry could grow to, and, c) when blasting occurred very seldom did it affect us in view st. Now when a blast is taking place, our whole house shakes, objects fall onto the floor and takes a considerable amount of time to fix.

The blasting is completely un-acceptable and has already pushed us to breaking point now, and we feel that if that expansion takes place, it will become utterly unmanageable. The amount of damaged caused to our house from the blasting is increasing and unacceptable, and it needs to stop.

Regards.

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I am writing in regards to the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion.
I am not against the expansion of the quarry itself as I believe that it is good to have industry in our area.
I oppose the way that the increase in production will be transported from site. Carrying additional heavy vehicles on the local country roads that are not built for this amount of load. With the potential for the additional vehicles having to travel through Paterson, a small country town with narrow streets and a railway crossing through town creates dangers for pedestrians in this town and other light vehicle drivers in the area.
The option of travelling through Matins Creek and along Martins Creek Road is a poor option as well due to the current state of the road, the fact that it is again, a narrow road leading to dangerous blind corners and hills to traverse for other drivers in the area.

Again, I am not oppossed to the quarry expansion and believe that if the additional production was trasnported off site via rail, which runs right past the quarry, than this would be an acceptable outcome. However, if the additional production was to be transported via one of the 2 road options proposed, I find this unacceptable due to the effect on the communities in the area, the effect on the local country roads and also the safety hazards that will be encountered along the local roads.

We service the Martins Creek quarry as a sub-contractor.
We employ 15 personel who all have roles at the quarry at different times on a year round basis.
We also engage sub contractors for supply of goods and services to this site directly and there are a total 12 persons engaged to support our contract
This quarry is a key site in the contracted works for our business, with regular and reliable output providing job security for a minimum of 27 induviduals and thair families.

Dear Sir/Madam,

As a resident living in Dungog Shire I express my objection to the expansion of Martins Creek Quarry.
My husband and I have family in Paterson. During our frequent trips to visit them or to go to Maitland we go over Gosforth Bridge.
Over the past several years I have been amazed at the time taken for the obviously very expensive repairs that have taken place to Gosforth Bridge. The work site office its self must be very costly and it seems to have been there forever. It must be obvious that the increased number of trucks is adding to the maintenance cost. The tax payer is covering all this.
My other observation has been the number of quarry trucks that we meet with on our local roads. Just for the record, the day a Newcastle Herald reporter came to Paterson to investigate objections to the quarry, we happened to be travelling along Clarence Town Road at about 8:30 am and to our surprise there were so many quarry trucks using this road to reach Dungog Road. That must have given Peterson residents some respite! Will the RMS tell me that they cause no damage to local roads and bridges?
SUGGESTION - restrict the quarry truck movements across the bridge by limiting the quarry's overall production, and estimate the proportion of damage they cause then charge the company for repair costs.
Nobody seems be concerned about the intimidation these trucks cause other drivers, there is no mention in the quarry company's EIS about the impact these trucks have on our roads, for both pedestrians and other drivers. Quarry truck drivers treat Dungog and Tocal Roads as their private haul roads. The EIS pays nothing more than lip service to the social issues involved, there is no reference made to the impact the trucks have on the central village of Paterson where it is huge risk to cross the road if one needs to go to the local IGA or the Post Office.
I refer to an article published in the Newcastle Herald on Oct 18 2016. It refers to the ruling on the Cooranbong compost stink and was written by Tim Connell. In the words of Justice Sheehan,
"The court must uphold the integrity of the planning law, and I am completely unsatisfied that the indulgences granted to ANL.......have been respected."
"The stage has now been reached where private advantage is now being won at the expense of public interest"
The latter statement applies exactly to the Martins Creek expansion.
SUGGESTION - Demand a full and proper study on the social impacts of this expansion on the local residents.

The proponent, Daracon, is proposing that they be allowed to send 40 trucks /hour through Paterson between the hours of 6am to 5pm 6 days per week .In reality this equates to 80 trucks/hour taking into account empty trucks arriving at the quarry.
Even a total of 40 trucks/hour is far too many for the winding streets of Paterson and too many for the local roads which were never designed as haul roads.
Paterson is a small historic village with no offstreet parking. The businesses in Paterson rely on onstreet parking for customers and deliveries. There has already been in Paterson a number of vehicles seriously damaged by quarry trucks . Thankfully nobody has been hurt but with a proposed possible 800 truck movements per day this may not last forever.
The main street in Paterson is also used by school buses from both primary and high schools travelling from Dungog and Maitland.The number of trucks using the main street of Paterson is not at all compatible with school buses and school children. Paterson does not have any marked pedestrian crossings or traffic lights.
The concrete traffic barriers as proposed by Daracon, willonly make the situation more dire. On street parking will be lost and further restricted The parking bays still available will be so narrow it will be impossible to open driver side doors safely. All this will affect local businesses and because customers will no longer be safe parking in the streets and may travel elsewhere to buy meat and groceries etc .Travelling into Paterson for a simple cup of coffee and newspaper at the local café will be difficult and dangerous. Access to the local service station will be all but impossible. Potentially all the businesses will suffer and some could close because of this uncaring development. The positioning of the proposed barriers at the post office corner will make it all but impossible for a low loader semi trailer carrying farm machinery to negotiate the corner.
The hours for truck movements as proposed are not acceptable to the community. At present trucks are travelling through Paterson starting at about 5.30 am on their way to the quarry. Empty trucks make far more noise than full trucks because of the clang rattle and bounce over any defect in the roads surface. Truck movement should not be permitted before 7am.
Daracon pays zero maintenance for our ever increasingly damaged roads in Dungog Shire and should be made to sussidise the council for damage caused by its trucks.
The answer to all these problems is simple.
1.Approve an annual extraction rate of no more than 700,000 tonnes per annum.
2.Mandate that any further processing of quarry material be done offsite at a rail siding where Daracon will build a carriage unloading facility as well as establish a processing plant. Having a processing plant at this site will allow Daracon to stockpile and will allow a more even flow of trucks.
3. Direct that a minimum average of one train load of product leave the quarry each day to be taken to the above processing / transfer area.
4. Direct that a maximum of 75 truck movements per DAY be allowed between the hours of 7am and 5pm Monday to Friday for transport either to their processing facility on direct to a customer.

The combination of 75 trucks per day and one train load per day will allow an extraction of 700,000 tonnes per annum and will take into account of any machinery breakdowns .

My young family and I oppose the expansion due to a number of issues, firstly truck noise although we live on a main road we expect a reasonable level of traffic noise however the amount of trucks that use their exhaust breaks from both sides of Paterson and Belmore road is constant and at all hours of the day and night and as i am aware illegal in residential built up areas and not sure why this is needed. In extension the amount of trucks we have reported to the EPA with excessive noise is also a constant battle.

Secondly Traffic congestion is also a issue. I factor into daily life again as expected living on a main road i do not expect nor assume to pull straight out or into my driveway but i should have some reasonable and safe gaps in traffic for us to simple get on the road or off into the safety of our driveway.

Thirdly safety for all road users. With the proposed amounts of trucks to increase on the roads and routinely following the same path to and from the quarry where is an area for the governing body to attend safety check points and to assure the community that theses trucks are carry safe loads and road safe. We all know these assurance can not be left up to truck owners themselves to police.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry expansion for the following reasons, the infrastructure that makes up the local area of Martins Creek, Paterson, Duns Creek, Tocal and many more rural areas along the proposed truck routes, these are areas people have moved to for air quality, serenity and flora and fauna. The historical area of Paterson will be under threat as to the small shops and hotel's that greatly benefit by weekend tourists and trade. Imagine trying to have breakfast with rumbling trucks continually going past on a Saturday morning, it would be like inhaling diesel with your coffee.
I believe under the proposed expansion that many of these will suffer. The roads and general area were not designed for such movements by heavy haulage trucks, and if the roads are upgraded once again this will then impact on people's reason for living in these areas. I have personally had two windscreens broken due to rocks from trucks, very hard to prove of course.
The quarry was purchased with the current consent and the company should have factored in that they may never be permitted to expand upon that consent. The trucks are also travelling along a route that has children embarking and disembarking off buses, trucks need to gain a lot of momentum to get up the inclines that exist along the trucks routes once the crest is reached I believe this could endanger peoples lives as there are no shoulders on these roads for buses to park safely. I do not wish to be woken on a Sunday morning by rumbling trucks outside my back door. It is bad enough now that the trucks start as early as 5 am. A comment was made at a community meeting by a certain person as a representative of the quarry stating that you shouldn't buy a home near a quarry. I say the same back to them, don't buy a quarry when your not happy with the current consent. This quarry has been able to co-exist for many years under the current consent.

I sincerely hope that the community is listened to as there will not be an option for people to sell as their properties will be worthless.

Hi my name is Dennis, I am a labourer working for Daracon. I am 26 years old, have four children and I am married. I have been with Daracon for 5 years and they have looked after me whilst I have brought up my young family. As part of my job I am responsible for building roads and infrastructure. Most of our roadbase and stormwater backfill is sourced from Martins Creek like stabilbase or 5mm dust. HAving access to these materials helps us make quality roads that comply with the local specifications. It also means that we can be competitive because we are sourcing local material. The quarry plays abig part in the Daracon organisation which helps maintain employment for over 800 people in our community. Daracon is a family company with good values who also do a lot for the local community through donations and sponsoring events. I think it is important not just for Daracon but for the wider community if the Quarry expansion is approved. Cheers, D.

I have been employed by Daracon for 6 year. My understanding that this quarry is a vital part of Daracon business growth as the quarry supply a lot materials to the site I work on. For Daracon to remain competitive in the Hunter Civil industry I feel that the Martin Creek quarry will therefore help in the future job security , not only for me but my fellow work mate

I object to the submission for the following reasons
* The area is sold as a lifestyle area and 80 vehicles an hour on top of the exiting traffic would make our road travel unbearable and unsafe
*The town of Paterson is an historical and unique village that retains a village atmosphere. The noise from the trucks makes any conversation or out door dining in the area impossible.
*The roads through the village are not wide enough for the trucks and the suggestions made by Daracon to widen the roads and basically change our village for their convenience is arrogant and wrong.
*There are three primary schools within short distances from the quarry which poses a risk to our children, not only from the dust generated but by the huge increase in trucking movements
*Our wildlife is already being descimated by the trucks (kangaroo killed in the main street the other morning at approx. 7.30am, in front of school kids and locals) There is also a koala population that would be aversely effected by detonating and quarrying another 38 hectares of native vegetation
*How can the commercial interests of one company take precedence over the health and lifestyle of the existing residents

We have recently moved to the area and the main road from Martins Creek travelling into the Maitland CBD is busy already for a single lane each way main road. From where we live my wife and I and our teenage children who drive have to turn across both lanes heading into Maitland. With the current traffic load at times it is either a longish wait or a strong acceleration to move in to the traffic flow with us witnessing a couple of accidents already. With the planned 80 additional heavy truck movements each hour how is the current road network going to handle this? There are not enough roundabouts in place already.

This road is mainly a residential street with houses along each side with no current work being undertaken to improve access for the current traffic flow.

The main road through Lorn is a narrow residential street and crossing the road while walking is only available on 2 crossings. Mornings and afternoons the traffic is at standstill with the current traffic flow, how is the additional truck movements going to affect an already choked road system.

I and my family are against this expansion under the current conditions the roads are in and the projects to improve them are not adequate.