Martins Creek Quarry Project

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I live on the main road on the quarry side of Paterson. All the trucks drive past my Farm 6 days a week from 5.30am. My house is 500 metres from the road and we don't need an alarm clock to wake up as the trucks racing past act as the clock, I really feel for the people in houses in town with what they have to put up with.
I moved here 15 years ago for the rural lifestyle with the peace that comes with that, my family has been farming for over 30 years and we have 3 Generations living here.
When we moved here we knew about the quarry and had bought gravel for the farm driveway, but it was never a problem, until Daracon bought it. The past few years it has been a nightmare, besides the Truck noise and the drivers total disrespect for the locals on the roads, were sometimes pulling into our driveway we are nearly pushed off by the trucks riding the back of the car to the point it is DANGEROUS, it is also an issue when they are blasting with our farming as we grow 120,000 meat chickens here and when you are in the sheds when blasting is going on the birds can feel it through the ground as we can and this causes some Heart attacks in the flock, which contributes to loss of income due to Daracons elegal actions in the quarry.

I believe the current approved limit that Daracon can remove should be stuck with, and removed on rail to Hexham where it is possible to load trucks there and not ruin our roads or our township with the local Businesses loosing customers due to the intersection change that will deem it impossible to get petrol from the servo when coming from Tocal end of town or going to the postoffice, Takeaway shop and the CBC looses people staying over on weekends as they cannot have a nice holiday due to the trucks and the noise.

I believe that there should be a better Policing of the quarry with out giving them notice that you are coming, because as soon as any authority is coming to town they change their actions for a couple of days and then when you leave they go crazy again. Daracon has trucked out of Martins Creek almost double this amount annually and it is unacceptable. We cannot live with the amount of trucks, noise etc etc that comes with that amount let alone 1.5 million tonnes being removed from the quarry. You commented at the meeting in the hall that you didn't think the amount was the problem is was more the restrictions on movement. That comment obviously comes from someone that doesn't live here, we disagree. However, I do think that they should only be able to operate 8am-5pm Mon - Frid and 8am - 12 pm on a Saturday, We still live in a place that doesn't have 7 day trading. Most places close at 12pm Saturday. We don't want to operate like a major city. This way the trucks will not be as bad in the early morning's.

Your department should reject the entire application as there is nothing they can do to make us live with this. We don't want an upgrade to the intersection in Paterson (to make their life easier) we just don't want any more trucks at all. You should reject the application entirely and let Dungog Council sort it out in court.
It doesn't take a genius to see that no matter what fines the court comes up with as penalty for Daracon [redacted content] the quarry - they are financially in front by miles with the triple amounts being illegally taken that they are trucking through our little Tourist Town. They pay no respect to authority or to us locals who can in his words ( David Mengay) 'Just move out'.

I cannot believe that nobody has made this company in the past, use the rail line that goes directly into the quarry. No doubt the suggestion has been put forward to him but he would use the trucks regardless - as they are cheaper and he doesn't seem to have to answer to anyone.

Please DO NOT APPROVE this application at all because once it's approved there is no going back. The destruction of our valley and town will be assured. Then we all loose out.

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