Martins Creek Quarry Project

I object to the Martins Creek Quarry Upgrade Project in its' current form.
The essence of my objection relates to the transporting of the quarry material by utilising the prime roads in our community. The increase in traffic by the trucks and truck & dogs will cause many issues to the community including the historical township of Paterson. The proposal outlines major modifications to the intersection of King And Duke streets road alignment ( not profile ) within the Paterson township with no consideration for the pedestrian use of the businesses within the township. There is no provision for safe crossing & the thoroughfare by Children, Aged & Disabled people. The "dogleg" road alignment at the intersection of Duke/Maitland/Prince Streets is of major concern due to the manipulation of the haulage vehicles at this deviation point. Two vehicles passing will be problematic and that the nearby public amenities will provide distraction to the haulage truck operators due to vehicles & pedestrians utilising these facilities. The increase in back up of traffic in King & Duke from the railway crossing & around the corner will be also be an increased problem. The likelihood of accidents is high.
My prime point of issue for the Quarry upgrade proposal is that haulage of the Quarry product by existing local roads is not an acceptable outcome for the population of the region. Either the Proposal examine and install a new dedicated road haulage way OR :
That Quarry product ( can be larger as mined, or primary crushed) be transported by Rail from Martins Creek to Bloomfield Collieries at East Maitland into their Rail Loop and unloaded, stocked and able to be loaded into Road Haulage Trucks. I would suggest that larger (longer & more payload capacity) rail transport wagons be utilised for this duty. The current rail loading loop at Bloomfield Collieries serves as a product outloading facility for coal ( -50mm x 0 ). There is incorporated within the current loop an unloading facility already constructed within the rail profile (and covered over with earthworks & ballast) ready for and the ability to take bottom dump rail wagons. The existing system would require a conveyor to outload & stack the Quarry product to stockpile. Should a coarser product be produced at the quarry then the stockpile at the Bloomfield Loop could be further treated by crushers at the loop & the products stored in discreet stockpiles. Loading the haulage trucks within the stockpile area could be by front end loader. The complete operations from Martins Creek to final stacking of the Quarry products at the Bloomfield Loop could occupy more of a commercial week. I note that the Bloomfield Mine is reducing their operations due to the reduction of coal reserves.

Fisheries has no comment

I object to the project due to the following:

1. The primary haul route will increase the number of truck movements in front of my house to an unacceptable and dangerous degree. Not just due to the increase in the physical vehicles but also due to the increase in noise, air and dust pollution. These impacts will on grow exponentially over the proposed 25 years. Is the Government willing and prepared to pay for extensive and costly road maintenance, increased public hospital costs due to the long-term health deterioration of the people along this route for the 25 years and beyond of the proposed project. While this proposal will increase Daracon's profit it will also increase costs to the NSW and local government; which will ultimately impact on funding going to local amenities and NSW Government priorities. These are long-term impacts.

2. The emission of diesel fumes and particulates impacts the health of people as well as the flora and fauna of the surrounding area by the black oily residue that coats everything. The residue contaminates the bird drinking water and is breathed in by all. This impact is seen with current traffic as is; with the increase in truck movements this would increase the pollutants already in the environment. The product being hauled via the road includes silica which has been proven to be a carcinogen and while the trucks will be washed when leaving the quarry, this will dry off quickly and does not stop dust containing the silica from being dispersed into the environment along the route the trucks travel.

3. The residential road is not suitable for the increase in trucks. During the 2007-19 period where increased Daracon haulage was implemented the roads deteriorated and had to be extensively reconstructed at the cost of Millions provided by the NSW Government. The local council cannot afford to continually repair residential roads due to increased commercial traffic to haul heavy loads that can be moved via rail. There is limited lighting along Tocal Road which limits the ability to see uneven roads surfaces and pot hole, particularly during the Winter and days of dense fog.

4. The increase in traffic hinders my ability to leave and enter my property. Increased traffic will mean that when entering my property I will be delaying traffic behind me due to waiting for an opportunity to cross the road. Also I back out into Tocal Road so increased traffic complicates and increases the difficulty of leaving the property. This particularly effects my elderly father leaving.

5. While the stated operation time for Daracon is 7.00am to 6.00pm, this is the time at Martin's Creek. To get there the trucks will be passing by my house from 6.00am to 7.00pm. So the impact of truck movements is for longer than stated. During the 2007-19 period due the early truck movements the noise of the unladen trucks was very loud and I was able to use this as an alarm clock. The house also vibrated from the unladen and laden trucks going by.

6. Increase in truck movements will greatly affect the movement of traffic between the intersections of Pitnacree and Melbourne, and Melbourne and New England Highway. The amount of traffic already using these intersections is already a challenge at peak times. Currently it usually takes at least two traffic light cycles before you can transition to the New England Highway as it timing is limited. The inclusion of 140 truck movements each way is not sustainable at these intersections. The physical size of the trucks will also adversely affect the movement through these intersections. The number of vehicles able to move in the period of a green light is decreased as trucks are slow to move off and take the physical area of at least 3 cars. The lights at the intersection of Melbourne and New England Highway do not remain green for very long. Delays in progressing through these intersections will increase the amount of traffic using Lawes Street East Maitland to get to the New England Highway; this is a residential area and not suitable for incrased levels of traffic or trucks.

7. Exiting the 7 Eleven at the junction of Pitnacree and Melbourne Streets would be problematic due to the size of the trucks. Trucks waiting to turn left at Pitnacree would obstruct the exit.

8. I question the ability for Daracon to maintain their schedule of 140/280 trucks movements per day. I travel to Newcastle Monday to Friday and utilise the proposed primary haul route. Traffic is continuous on this route and current peak times already impacts the time it takes to get to the New England Highway. The inclusion of 140 trucks going each way will only increase the time. For Daracon to maintain the schedule of 140/280 truck movements per day, then the operation time of haulage will increase beyond the stated 7.00am - 6.00pm period. So Daracon would potentially be operating outside the proposed times from the very beginning.

9. Traffic on the New England Highway from Maitland to Newcastle is continuous both ways all day and there are hot spots from Beresfield to Sandgate that create major delays to traffic most weeks. I have been travelling this route for over 20 years and the last 5 years has seen an exponential increase in traffic, this has created known bottle necks at the merge of M1 traffic into New England Highway at the Beresfield junction; bottle neck at Hexam Bridge junction; and bottle neck at Sandgate junction (particularly, when returning to Maitland in the afternoon). So I do not believe the schedule that Daracon has proposed can be maintained and will only exacerbate time delays created by an already high volume of traffic along this route.

10. While the laden truck route is known what about the route which unladen trucks will return to the Martins Creek Quarry. Moving trucks via Lorn is not acceptable as this is an area of high pedestrian traffic and has an infants school. The inclusion of trucks long this route will increase the probability of an critical accident at the pedestrian crossing in front of the Lorn news agency or the crossing in front of the infants school.

11. The proposed project will also devalue my property due to the increase in truck movements. Not only is this a personal loss; but a decrease in land value will decrease council rates, which will impact the financial ability of Maitland Council to provide basic amenities to the people of Maitland.

12. The image of Bolwarra Heights and all the other villages, including Paterson, as a rural sanctuary will be greatly impacted and the flow on impact to tourism will greatly harm the economic sustainability of this area. I bring relatives and friends to Paterson for lunch to show of the beauty of the area; adding a truck going pass you every 2 minutes does not really provide you with the image of a quiet rural village visit for relaxation and enjoyment. So if the proposal goes ahead I and others will not be bringing any visitors to the area, which will decrease the amount of people purchasing food and drink from the local shops.

13. The product being hauled can be moved via rail. There are existing loading and unloading rail spurs available for Daracon use. Movement of this type of product via rail is the proven gold standard and is used by other comparable companies. Rail is a feasible, economic, and environmental way of moving this product.

Please see attached Submission 'Martins Creek Quarry Submission 2_July_2021'

Qualtest Laboratory (NSW) Pty Ltd write to confirm our support for the Martins Creek Quarry project.
Please refer to attached letter of support.

See attached

To whom it may concern,

Thank you for this opportunity to make this submission to the proposed expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry (herein referred to as the “quarry”).

My objections are as follow:
• I have already witnessed the effects of the large volumes of truck movements in my local area and surrounds when the Martins Creek Quarry was previously operating outside its allowable conditions. The local township of Paterson, in particular, was adversely affected due to the safety impacts on locals and visitors because of the high volume of trucks, the noise and pollution they generated, the deterioration of the roads, and the decline in visitors to the area because of this.
• As someone who travels up and down the area for work, the damage to surrounding roads by the previous large amount of truck movements from the quarry was always evident. Not just for the Dungog Council area, but the adjoining Council areas also. Reintroducing this problem will again have detrimental effects on the road networks, as well as a larger financial strain on our local Councils and my rate payer dollar. When the quarry was operating above what it should have, I had several close calls with trucks travelling to and from the quarry. I cannot stress enough how close I came to being in a potentially fatal accident on these occasions, and not just on the Dungog roads. Trucks coming from other areas are a problem also.
• Additional to the pollution that the trucks will generate, there is also the effects of the blasting from the quarry. For the people living in the adjacent area around the quarry there is the initial noise and vibration from these blasts. This kind of activity will build up on people and I am confident in saying that their mental health will suffer. I feel the blasts at my residence in Vacy, and as a shift worker this will impact my own health also because of the inability to get proper rest. I am also concerned about the negative impact on people’s physical health caused by the chemicals used in the explosions and the chemical/mineral dust generated from them. Also, as an area not serviced by articulated water, we rely on potable water from our tanks. The additional air borne pollution will inevitably make its way into people’s drinking water.
• Then there is the impact on local business. I have lived in this area for 10 years and have become friends with our local shop/business owners. They too are very concerned about the ongoing viability of their businesses. The loss of public access, the loss of parking, the pedestrian safety are all very real concerns. I fail to see how the quarry expansion will have a positive impact on the business community. The proposal removes parking space, and when one or more trucks do decide to pull over in the streets for a break, each truck alone will take up multiple parking spaces. This further degenerates a businesses ability to trade and make profit.
• The fact that the quarry expansion proposal wants to increase its operating hours, and on a 6(six) day per week basis does not sit well with me either. What is the greater benefit to the local community? The additional offer of employment is small and is only just above what they are already operating at. And what is to say that they are employing locals?
• This area is an old area. Much of Paterson is heritage listed. This attracts many visitors to our locale. The quarry expansion, I believe will do damage to our buildings and tourism. The additional vibrations from blasting and trucks have the potential to damage our historic buildings, the constant heavy vehicle movements through town will drive the tourists away.
• Another thing to think about is the impact on people’s real estate values. The majority of people who have moved to this area have done so to soak up the quiet lifestyle it offers. While the quarry has been operating for 100 years, it has been a known entity with minimal impact on the people. If this expansion goes ahead the output will be 4 to 5 times greater than it was. This will have a negative effect on people wanting to buy and move into the area, thus driving people’s real estate prices down when it comes time for them to sell. These properties will remain a reasonable investment if the quarry continues as is, but not so much if it expands.
• My final concern is a moral one. The operators of this quarry have flouted their legal operating conditions before. Then, when they were challenged on this, they fought it all the way through the court system in an effort to justify themselves. To my knowledge, at no time did they admit they had done wrong and take their foot off the throttle. Their bloody-mindedness and disregard for our communities and, as operators of the business, their legal obligations should ring alarm bells. I know this is an ethical issue and not a legal one, but one that should be considered all the same.

So, to finalise, I am very much against the expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry proposal. But I am not against it operating under its current conditions.

I'm writing this submission on behalf of the Bolwarra Uniting Church and the congregation as a whole, some of who live on Paterson Road and can remember the last time that these trucks and dogs travelled these roads. This project doesn't impact on the Church use during the weekend but will severely do so if we have anything on at the church such as a funeral or with other groups using these facilities. It is hard enough now trying to turn in to side streets along Paterson Road or coming out of private residential driveways. If this project goes ahead it will make it near an impossibility to safely get across any of these road intersections, particularly now with new areas popping up such as Hunter Glen at Bolwarra Heights these poor residents sit there now waiting for a safe gap to move, it will be near impossible to move if this project as it stands gets up and running. We also have some congregation that have families that have school aged children who travel by buses which constantly stop along this already busy road with them getting on and off and trying to cross this busy road. This is a recipe for disaster for not only the children but the constantly stopping of buses and this main road is not that wide for any heavy truck and dog to safely pass whichever direction they heading, without impacting on the vehicles travelling the opposite direction. Add to the mix that the Maitland Council wish to build a safety island around the intersection of Paterson Road and Victoria Street Bolwarra, this will make that area more dangerous for normal vehicles let alone having to put up with 40+ heavy trucks and dogs every hour. Add to this the constant noise, vibrations to peoples homes close to this main road as well as the dust and rocks coming off these trucks, whether they are loaded or not and these trucks will not be doing just 60kph either truck and dogs now are regularly travelling way above the speed limit and harrassing drivers, which has happened to me when I have been driving along the Paterson road to Tocal and Paterson. Then there is the chaos that will happen when they intersect flat road with Melbourne Street and then onto New England Highway.
Thank you for allowing me my say..appreciated.

The amount of proposed truck movements in this area all the way to Maitland is too much for the current road infastructure.
We live in Hunter Glen estate and struggle as it is to pull out onto Paterson Rd, with all the extra trucks the local council will need to put traffic lights on that section to allow for us to safely leave and not have to drive out in front of trucks.
The local roads will not handle all the truck movements and damage will occur.
There are no pedestrian crossings on that section and school kids have to cross Paterson road to go to the bus stops, this will be extremely danagerous with this excess truck movements.
I propose all the additional trucks movements get cancelled and plan to have all the product sent on a train.

I am objecting to the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion. I would be affected personally should it be approved. Safety Entering and exiting my property would be jeopardised with truck movements. I am required to take registered machinery between properties and my safety would be jeopardised with the increased truck movements. My livestock would also be jeopardised should they get out onto the road or if a truck ran off the road & through my fences.
I live in a heritage home built in the 1880's. The noise and vibration from the trucks would be unbearable to live with & damaging to my residence. It would also affect the value of my property.
The areas affected by the trucks are heritage areas first settled in the 1800's. Some of the first settlement in the area.
Safety on our roads is paramount & the amount of trucks and road conditions will almost certainly contribute to a fatality.
Currently the properties affected by the increased trucks are in a country area, peaceful & should be safe. Should the approval be granted school children will be put in danger waiting for a school bus & travelling on one in the current condition of the roads. Country children will not be able to ride their bicycles or walk safely between neighbouring properties of friends. It will be unsafe to ride a horse on the roadside between properties.
Currently this is a beautiful area with a huge historical background which would be ruined with high heavy vehicle movement. Roadkill of wildlife and protected species will also increase.

Our company supports the Project. Please refer to the attached letter in support.

My disagreement to this project concerns myself and my family being confronted by the 40 trucks per hour expected along Gresford Road towards Paterson township. I travel along this road several time per week and have a great fear as I shop in Paterson at the grocers,butchers and post office and find it hard to imagine these 40 trucks hurtling through Paterson, all day every day.
Surly there must be a better way of transporting this gravel e.g by rail. The roads in the Dungog Shire are in such an appalling condition now I see more costs to the poor ratepayers to repair these roads in the future. Consideration must also be given to the poor landowners who have to contend with the blasts from the quarry for the next 25 years. Why do we need any expansion or any quarry so close to these small towns? Hasn't 100years of dragging stones out of this quarry been enough. Enough is enough

I am objecting to the expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry for a multitude of reasons.
Firstly: In the biodivsersity EIS acknowledges the presence multiple threatened species of native animals at the site. Koalas specifically are already rapidly running out of habitat in NSW and are close to being functionally extinct due to logging and quarry activities in the state. If this expansion goes through it will put more strain on already decimated populations.

Secondly: I grew up in Bolwarra regularly visiting the historical Village of Paterson and continue to do so. The roads in area are most definitely not able to handle a traffic increase of 280 trucks per day. These are residentional roads not major haulage roads, with the quarry being 20km from any major road. On page 7 of the May 2021 "Martins Creek Quarry Update - Information Sheet 3" it states that haulage will be revised during times when there is increased traffic in Paterson on days such as Batpist Church events. There is no Baptist Church in Paterson. Since Daracon is not able to get simple datails about the community they plan to operate in correct, it calls into question their ability to perform basic due diligence on the impact of this project and the reliability of any information they present to the public.

Thirdly: By Daracon's own admission through Adam Kelly, they have already spent the last several years operating illegaly to the tune of 100 million dollars in profit. This displays a total disregard for the health. safety and peace of the communities of Paterson and Martins Creek. I find it hard to believe that even if Daracon ammended their application to adequately address the concerns of the communities they plan to operate in that they would actually adhere to these ammendments. It is much more likely that they would continue to operate however they saw fit ignoring restrictions imposed upon them and the proposed expansion.

As a local already affected by the amount of traffic that hits Paterson Road and The Flat Road, I cannot fathom the addition of any more trucks at any and all times of the day.
Waiting at Melbourne St lights is already hell!
The roads are NOT equipped for any influx of quarry trucks!
No thanks

Expanding the Martin's Creek Quarry will destroy more of our precious natural bushland and bring the koala closer to extinction. Do not let this government be the one that lets that happen, just for greed's sake. The future of my family depends on a just decision being made now.

I strongly oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Project for the following reasons:
- The Depreciation in property values impacted by pit operations and mining haul roads
- Downturn in local businesses trading in goods and services, hospitality, tourism, wedding functions along haul roads.
- Loss of amenity for surrounding residents of the site who will be further impacted by vibrations, lighting, noise and dust.
- Loss of EPBC Listed threatened species, habitats and corridors.
- Damage to local roads , making them more unsafe.
- Daracon previously operated this mine illegally for multiple years. Working out of operating hours, boundaries and extraction limits.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion. For many reasons a few of which I have listed below.
- I live in hunterglenn estate and it is already a struggle to exit the estate. With the increased traffic with heavy machinery it will likely be a much larger risk to exit the estate.
- I also grew up in the area riding bikes along Paterson and tocal road. There is no shoulder on tocal road and it would be a fatal risk to have increased and tired heavy machine operators on the road. I would also like my child to have the opportunity to safely ride to his grandparents and would not trust the fatigued operators that would frequent this road.
- there has been a fatality on tocal road at mindaribba in recent years where a bike rider was struck.
- there have been multiple accidents this is likely to increased with more trucks on this route.

My objection is based on:
24 hour train loading
approximately 280 truck movements a day on roads not designed for large trucks which pass through small towns
up to 40 truck movements per hour
clearing 21ha of native vegetation
25 years of projected operation
operations 6 days/week
A return to the impacts of unlawful operations previously experienced between 2012-2019 which demonstrated an inability to properly implement and enforce previous permissions
Intensification of blasting, dust, vibration & noise from the mine and subsequent negative impacts on locals & their properties
increased hours of operation
I believe the original approval was for rail transport only, not road. This approval should for the basis of any new approval.

I fully support the extension and expansion of Martins creek quarry. this quarry has a long history of operating in the Martins creek/ Paterson area long before most residents arrived. Daracon is a strong employer in the hunter providing steady employment for many residents of the hunter. The quarry is owned by a local family with money being spent by locals in local shops and profits not sent offshore like other quarrys in the area. We should all support what can only be a bonus for the hunter business and infrastructure.

I strongly oppose the Martins Creek Quarry expansion project.

With the long term impact on the environment aside (huge issue), the volume and frequency of truck movements proposed will absolutely compromise the road safety and the mental well being of those who live in the surrounding areas.

We understand there is not a scenario where no resources are extracted however what is proposed is well in excess of what any local community member supports. I can already hear the blasting from my house and I am not as close as those who live closer to the quarry. The impact on their over well wellbeing must be tremendously negative whereby Daracon may empathises with their situation but in reality money talks and they do not have to live with constant blasting and trucks screaming past their houses at all times.

As a community we plead for those who have the ability to control these decisions consider the end users. The number of trucks currently proposed cannot be permitted and must be reduced to an acceptable level.