Martins Creek Quarry Project

I am objecting to the Martins Creek Quarry Project on a number of grounds-
1. I live on the proposed haul route between Paterson and Maitland and travel to Paterson at least three times a week. The road from Maitland to Paterson is NOT a State or Federally funded road and is not to the standard to be used as a haul road. The road through Paterson is narrow to the extent that quarry trucks always cut the corners and travel over the centre line. The number of daily truck movements, especially when return truck trips are added, is not acceptable to the local community as it will completely destroy the village atmosphere as well as endangering lives. The school buses pick up and drop off children in the main street of Paterson within metres of huge trucks going past.It is only a matter of time before a fatal accident occurs.
2. The Silica levels in the quarry material make the transport of this product through a built up area unsafe.The dust borne particles will settle in the houses and properties along the haul route. The health of many could be at risk through lung disease .
3. The quarry proponents have demonstrated , over the past 6 years, their complete disregard of the communities' concerns. Their employment of consultants to survey local opinion and to answer local concerns has been a complete farce. The consultants have NOT consulted widely and do not reflect in their reports the true feelings of the community.
4. The proponent, in their submission, is misleadingly using the wrong base line for tonnes to be extracted. The present legal base line is 300,00 tonnes p.a., of which 70% is to be transported by rail. Not their 1,100,000 p.a. 2016 illegal base line.
5.The proponents do NOT adequately cover the impact of the quarry expansion on local wildlife and flora. There has been no real effort in regard to koala protection and their habitat. The proponents have little regard for the damage they have already done to local waterways with polluted runoff.
FINALLY, other quarries in NSW have been required to build dedicated haul roads or dedicated rail spurs to service their operations. Why is DARACON being allowed to override community concerns with no penalty ?

Please find my submission attached.

We are considering buying property at Dungog.
We have experience of the damage to the roads done by these trucks, the traffic volume and the safety concerns having experienced them for many years driving to and from Mangrove Mtn on the Central Coast. Our csr has been damaged several times by flying rocks but luckily we didn't crash as the rock hit the windscreen.
Aside from the personal experience on the road, the damage to the water table, the noise of blasting, truck movement and dust for local residents, flora and fauna is massive.

Have lived in and owned home for over 30 yrs. Bought here as many do for lifestyle ie Just gentle environment, not smart "McMansions" just "Home" and treed big blocks with visiting magpies, lorikeets etc, The prevalence of single quarry trucks in the past reduced quality of life for us with constant noise of trucks, damage to Tocal Rd surface (Thus more potholes to make increased noise and maintenance costs for ratepayers and Tocal Rd was seen then as a dangerous road for resident families and nearby streets whether accessing their property safely , limiting family enjoyment and reduced properties resale dollars. Preservation of our environment, treasuring superb Australian regional lifestyle for families surely beats a commenrcial quarry,s desire for dollars

Dear Sirs

My husband has already provided a submission and stated that these matters are already settled prior to public scrutiny. I am writing to give a different perspective on the matter.

If the historic/tourist town of Paterson is to be subjected to the Daracon intention then it will become a ghost town like many others before it.

The people of Paterson and surrounding areas will be impacted by the traffic noise, heavy vehicles and air pollution and the infrastructure was never intended to be subjected to the number of heavy vehicles that Daracon propose. The tourist will stop coming, businesses will lose trade or fail and properties will be de-valued.

The last time Daracon had convoys of trucks going through the village I became very nervous driving through the village and into nearby Maitland, as I felt intimated by the trucks so close behind me, pushing me to go faster.

When our grandchildren come to visit we would often walk to the shops, but always have to be extremely vigilant when the trucks come through at speed.

If Daracon get the go ahead for this unnecessary quarry expansion the impact on us and our village lifestyle will be severely impacted and our lives/livelihoods will be changed forever. Are these things not taken into consideration?

There must be other routes close to main roads that can be considered which would be less disruptive and would not impact on this historic/tourist township and surrounding area.

I am approaching 70 years of age. My husband and I retired to Paterson and this was to be our final home, if Daracon do get the go ahead we would seriously have to consider moving out of the area, which would be disappointing, as at my time of life I do not want any major changes.

I sincerely hope that you stop any further expansion to the quarry and consider the future generations. Many thanks for reading my submission.

This project would have a significant effect on both where I live and the village of Paterson where I work and have a business.My business is just out of town but I use the shops in Paterson for my everyday ammenities. There is a sharp right hand bend in the middle of the village and the shops are on either side of the road. During the period when Daracon ran illegal numbers of trucks through the village it became problematic to carry out everyday activities and I don't see how their proposed truck levels would make it much different to that. There is no pedestrian crossing in the village and when trucks are lined up because the level crossing is closed one has to walk out between trucks then stand in the middle of the road to check if a vehicle has come out of a parking spot or the service station and then go. If traffic is moving there is not a clear vision in both directions because of the bend and heavy vehicles take longer to stop. Children and elderly people are forced to do this and it is very dangerous at the proposed levels. This small shopping centre is where our community is centred and is quite busy throughout the day. I can't see how it is acceptable or safe to run more trucks though there than currently operate. I think I would be more likely to access the pharmacy, butcher etc in Maitland where I can park without the need to confront large trucks and the noise they make which ruins the village but this then takes away from the livelyhoods of those Paterson businesses. Also I believe that Paterson is the most well preserved historic village in the lower Hunter and now the trucks are not constantly running through it draws a lot of mid week visitors to the village and its river side park.
I live in Bolwarra just off the proposed route where the already approved Brandy Hill quarry will add another 100 or so trucks a day to what is already an extremely busy road.
This is a residential area and it is not an arterial road. There is a school just off the route and a preschool on the route. Access to all the side roads leading on to the route is already difficult at busy times and turning right into those roads also. One also has to contend with large vehicles coming downhill behind you if you want to turn right off the road when coming from Paterson and the laws of physics tell us that heavier vehicles take longer to stop travelling down hill. It also appears on my reading of the submission that the traffic report does not include the cumulative effect of the trucks joining Paterson Road at Bolwarra Heights from the recently approved Brandy Hill Quarry. If this is the case the report included is obsolete.
Trucks come through on their way to the quarry much earlier than quarry opening times. When trucks were not allowed through Paterson until 7.00 am, they would still come through Bolwarra at 6 am and then queue outside Paterson village so they could be first to be loaded. I think this practice would continue but with extra trucks it would only start earlier. I live 200 metres off the road but was still woken every morning by their noise. I can only imagine how much worse it it for the hundreds of people who live even closer and before the 7 am curfew on Paterson I was woken at 5 am.
When trucks were operating at a higher rate than they now are I was forced to endure regular delays for road repairs on my way to work. Since that time this has seldom been an issue. I also regularly witnessed impatient drivers overtaking in unsafe spots because the road has limited opportunites to pass a slow moving vehicle. I have been told these trucks are also carting a load with a high silca content (a known carcinogen) If this is the case, is wetting them down and covering the load sufficient to guarantee it won't escape? To let large ,heavily laden trucks travel 20 odd kilometres and pass through the very middle of what has now become a vibrant village centre and then continue to join the trucks from Brandy Hill past a preschool, through a residential area on narrow roads seems wreckless.
This is very different to Brandy Hill and allowing that many large trucks through the middle of a (for now) growing and vibrant town centre that has a well preserved historic centre. It would ruin the atmosphere of the village entirely and have a profoundly negative effect on those of us who would be asked to carry the burden of it and diminish it for future generations.

this project is going to impact farming land and stop people from making their honest living.

To Whom It May Concern.
The proposal to increase the Martin’s Creek Quarry from 300,000 tonne extraction to 1.1 / 1.5 million tonne is quite extraordinary.
This proposal if successful comes with all the associated increase in noise, pollution, traffic and rail movements and of course the continuing damage to Public Roads and infrastructure.
There is a lot at risk to the historic township of Paterson and the surrounding villages in this Lower Hunter community.
In conclusion the level of extraction should remain as is.

I strongly disagree with the expansion of the quarry.
I believe there are some major issues with the environment & koalas that have not been discussed or addressed in the proposal.
I believe that Daracon need to consider & show planning processes regarding the Koala's & their surrounding environment before the expansion of the quarry.
I also disagree with the amount of trucks that will be using the local roads, the strain & congestion on a small country town like Paterson is massively difficult to deal with on a daily basis.

I have attached my submission (SSD6612-2021fsubmission) objection to SSD6612. I have also mailed a signed copy.
Regards Stephen Sneddon

Attached is our submission. We ask that the project application be rejected.

The traffic through Lorn is already too much without more trucks going through. This will be a disaster

I have lived in the Paterson area for 31 years. Our quiet little village and rural roads cannot sustain 40 trucks per hour. The expansion will impact the tranquil country village and is unnecessary when there are other quarries that are closer to major arterial roads. Daracon needs to think about our health from truck movements, dust and noise pollution. I say NO!

Dungog Regional Tourism objects to the project
Please see attached submission

The Society objects to this project
See attached submission

I object to this project on a number of grounds. We need to save the natural habitat that is being devastated by projects like this. The increase in transportation movements to cope with the expansion is not suitable for the local community, it will transform this rural area into an industrial zone. The movements will impact on both the residents of the area and the natural environment. The increase in noise, blasting resulting in air pollution and dust are all negative impacts. The need for this expansion is questionable. Let Daracon get their stone from Brandy Hill. The last quarry you agreed to expand, to the detriment of another local community and the natural environment.

I support the quarry project as it will provide: jobs directly, through transport, associated trades and services and quarry products for a wide range of applications locally and throughout the region.
I work in the quarrying and construction industry and its often hard to get quarry materials due to consistent market demand which then causes delays in construction and drives the prices up with the additional costs flowing through to infrastructure projects and housing etc.
We need quarries for progress and they operate under strict environmental guidelines.

In summary, the proposed number of truck movements and hours of operation are excessive and will have a devastating impact on amenity, tourism, local commerce, road safety and lifestyle. It must not be allowed to proceed. Instead, the rail-loading facilities at the quarry need to be upgraded and most of the material taken out by rail, as was the original intention of the quarry. For important further details, please read the attached pdf file.

I lived through the experience when Martins Creek Quarry operated outside their development consent some years back and wouldn't wish the impact it had on our lives on my worst enemies.
Dungog Shire Council fortunately put an end to this via a lengthy Court process.
This current application now aims to go back there.
While the proponents of this application will want you to believe they addressed residents concerns, noise, road, blasting and environmental issues, they've done nothing but to put Lipstick on a Pig.

Rejection of this development application is the only responsible course of action.

Sincerely
Fritz Woller

Opposed to Martins Creek Quarry Expansion


I am a resident of Martins Creek, my wife and I have lived here for 35 years and raised five children here, we are presently raising three young boys with significant disability on our five acre hobby farm.
We’ve experienced the operations of Martins Creek Quarry in the days of Rail Corp. which had very little impact on our lifestyle and we have lived through the nightmare years of Daracon’s operations after they purchased the quarry. During which time we felt the earth move and windows rattle with blasting at various hours. We endured noise and congestion from the multitude of trucks that took over our country roads and dominated our historic villages. We diced with death on the roads on a daily basis and breathed the filthy air from dust and toxic diesel fumes.
When Dungog Council took Daracon to the land and environment court and won, it gave residents their lives back.
The air we now breath is “clean air” our children are safe from pollution, the excessive noise has gone and we can safely drive on the roads, I have noticed very few dead native animals on the road.
We like the rest of the world are recovering from Covid, it has taken its toll mentally and we strive to come together in our small communities to support each other.