Martins Creek Quarry Project

We live at Bolwarra and the intersection at Hunter Glen is extremely hard to get out of, if the expansion goes ahead it will make it more dangerous to merge onto Paterson Road from Hunter Glen. The proponents will need to fund major upgrades to the roads to ensure safer merging lanes if this proposal goes ahead. Either traffic lights or a roundabout.

Why can’t they use the rail network rather than putting more heavy vehicles on the road?

Will it take for someone to be seriously injured or killed before common sense prevails.

The safest option is to ensure that semi trailers are not used to transport goods via our country roads.

All goods need to be transported by rail.

I object to the increased traffic and damage that will occur to local roads. The roads are not designed to cope with the proposed increase of heavy vehicles.
I also object to the noise, dust & destruction of wildlife habitat in particular the Koalas.

We cannot bulldoze a place where endangered species are living!

I most strongly object to the Martins Creek Quarry Project because of the dangers inherent in having so many more trucks on the road through these rural areas as well as noise and vibration disturbance. Increased trucking traffic will create driving hazards, will create noise and air pollution, will spoil the character of these small rural areas, will increase danger for children within the effected neighbourhoods and will create damage to existing road infrastructure. Paterson already suffers with trucks hurtling through and an increase in this would be devastating to the community. These towns and communities are precious and should be at the core of decision making not profit.

I am greatly concerned about the safety of my children and all general public walking, riding, travelling on Paterson Road throughout the day. How will anyone manage to cross the road or turn out of Hunterglen (and other residential streets) Estate with 280 trucks a day. We currently have a significant issue exiting the Estate throughout the day, but particularly between 0730 - 0915 in the morning with little break in the traffic in either direction.

I am also worried about the environmental impacts these 280 trucks per day will carry and deposit throughout our peaceful, rural environment.... noise pollution, dust pollution, traffic pollution.

The increase number of trucks and quarry expansion will have devastating effect on my neighbourhood peaceful living and greatly impact the wildlife in a negative way. We settled in our home to escape the hustle and bustle of life and be able to recharge both mentally and physically and having additional estimated 40 trucks passing by in our road every 90sec is not helping our loving situation. We choose to live in a quite street and in a community for families to thrive and we oppose the plan Martins Creek Quarry Expansion. For both our family sake and the wildlife in the area.

Save the wildlife

I’m not generally one to complain about change, however, if an increased number of quarry trucks will be travelling up and down Paterson Road daily, I do wonder how Bolwarra residents, school buses and parents who do the school run each day, will go safely turning right to get back onto Paterson Road with more large trucks coming down the hill.
Trying to turn right to get onto Paterson Road from the nearby Hunterglenn Estate during peak times is also difficult enough without extra trucks on the road.
I just hope that there is adequate consideration given as to how cars will safely enter Paterson Road in these areas as well as others, with the proposed increase in trucks on the road.
The safety of our school aged kids who use the main road to travel to and from school to attend Bolwarra Public School also concerns me. As does the increase in noise to the area. I’m presuming the ‘disturbance footprint ‘ consideration, means that residents living along the travel route won’t be woken by trucks late evenings or early mornings and that a very limited number of trucks would be running on weekends? If there’s less trucks planned to run per hour as stated, I would also hope that consideration has been given to school pick up and drop off times so they are avoided. I love our peaceful little community, 25 years of noisy trucks running up and down the main road wasn’t at all what I was hoping to see happen to our area in the future. Surely there is a better option than this!

The EIS and supporting documents state that heavy vehicles will be encouraged to use Flat Rd to Melbourne St to avoid Bolwarra, Lorn and central Maitland. I was involved in the consultation and planning for the 3rd crossing bridge project in the late 2000s that created the Flat Rd main Rd route. The key objective of that project was to take traffic out of central Maitland and avoid Lorn. The integrity of that project and the mitigation of impact on Bolwarra, Lorn and central Maitland needs to be preserved in the event that the quarry project is approved. A condition needs to be imposed rather than relying on "generally in accordance with EIS" arguments that may arise in the future.
If approved, please impose a condition(s) that:
* quarry heavy vehicle traffic (quarry trucks) are prohibited from using the Bolwarra, Lorn and Maitland route. (This is a general condition that puts responsibility on heavy vehicles)
* The quarry must ensure that all heavy vehicles use Flat Rd to Melbourne St route instead of travelling through Lorn. (This will put the onus on the quarry to ensure contracts and systems are put in place).
I am also concerned with the hours of operation. Please impose 6am -6pm weekdays truck movement hours to and from the quarry.

Please don’t do this to our beautiful quiet country town.

I am concerned with three aspects of this project.

The first aspect is the inevitable increase in dust in the quarry region, and also along the corridor of truck movement from the quarry throughout Maitland area. While mitigation strategies may manage some level of dust, there will be an unavoidable increase that impacts the amenity of the region. This directly detracts from the air quality and health that walkers, cyclists and runners value in the area. The increase in truck traffic will additionally directly impact air quality in terms of engine fumes.

The second aspect is road safety in the corridor of truck movement through Bolwarra Heights. This is a narrow stretch of suburban road in proximity to a well regarded public school. The traffic in the area is already exceptionally busy with buses, commuters and cyclists and added vehicles will increase congestion - which increases the likelihood of vehicle accidents. It is unclear to me why a suburban corridor has been chosen to transport such a large number of trucks to the detriment of a suburb that is already subject to significant traffic congestion.

The third aspect relates to truck noise. The transport corridor between Bolwarra Heights BP service station and Bolwarra Flat Road roundabout is proximate to where my family and I live. I value the absence of industrial noise, and heavy traffic movement. I made a specific decision to move to the area because of its distance from arterial roads with excess traffic, truck compression braking, etc. I realise there has always been trucking in the area, but the proposed project will bring the level of noise that is excessive.

Submission for Martins Creek Quarry SSD 6612 MCQ is attached. As a resident of Paterson Village who will be directly impacted by this I am strongly opposed. 5 court cases later and we are still having to fight! it has taken its toll. Courts have proven that Daracon were operating the Quarry illegally from 1991 and did not have consent. Daracon have failed to address issues raised by residents within our communities and continue to ignore our lived experience. The impact this will have on the historical village and early settlement of Paterson will be significant not to mention other communities along the haul route. I have concerns with recent laboratory test results I have undertaken with dust on my verandah confirming silica is present and this is a big issue for government combined with fly ash and diesel emissions. I have sent my concerns to Minister Rob Stokes and Minister Paul Scully regarding this. I look forward to a response that does not undermine the residents directly impacted. Governments have a duty of care to consider the impact on our amenity.

I am a resident on Paterson Rd and I object to the expansion of Martin's Creek Quarry.
Traffic on Paterson Rd has already significantly increased over the past few years.

I believe if the expansion goes ahead it will be a severe detriment to our environment, noise and pollution and our right to live quietly.

Please find submission attached

The project will severely impact the lives of the local residents which cover a large area including Maitland itself. From noise, to children’s safety walking to and from school, and driver safety. The traffic problems will escalate all along the route and will become gridlocked especially at peak periods. Also the noise pollution, and air pollution. Then there is the immediate impact on the local fauna in the proposed area.

We have lived in our home, on Gresford Road in Paterson, for almost 16 years and value and appreciate the wonderful benefits of living in a rural area. I acknowledge that business should be able to operate, however the proposed expansion of the Martins Creek Quarry is excessive, particularly in light of the number of trucking movements that will occur if the proposal is approved. The increased trucking movements will negatively impact the environment in which we have chosen to make our home based on the amenity of the area and will negatively impact the value of our property materially which does not seem fair or balanced when looking at the interests of all stakeholders. I would ask that you make a decision that is fair and balances the needs of all stakeholders/residents of the area. Thank you for considering.

I strongly object to The Martins Creek Quarry Expansion

As everyone deserves to be protected and live in a safe environment .

Daracon can not guarantee this.

The trucks are too noisy. We are woken up 5 days a week at 5.30am from trucks going past our place as well as our roads are not suitable for any trucks as they deteriorate very quickly after being repaired and it has made driving on our roads dangerous. Dungog council are not in a position to upgrade our roads to take the extra traffic.

Community and roads are not made for these types of volumes this would completely wreck people life’s who live close to the quarry

I object to the expansion of the Martins Creek quarry. The increase in truck movement will greatly reduce the quality of life for many residents along the route due to noise and pollution. The traffic is already congested at peak times along Paterson Rd in Bolwarra Heights and Bolwarra. Adding the amount of trucks per hour that Daracon are proposing will provide further congestion, and place our children who cycle and walk to school at risk. There is already nowhere safe for them to cross the road, and we are being very short sighted by reducing our children's ability to move about in our community. There is also the impact this will have on the wildlife whose habitat will be destroyed.
This area of the Maitland and Dungog shires has a very historic background and is a tourist attraction for that reason, and also because of the beautiful, natural state of the area. This expansion will destroy that calmness with the extra trucks, and the destruction of the land. It will also affect the livelihoods of those people involved in these towns, by making it less attractive for tourists. Paterson and Bolwarra rely on tourism for their cafes/restaurants and pubs to survive. Many people ride their bikes (both bicycles and motorbikes) to these towns (not just of a weekend), and this route will be more dangerous for them due to the trucks. It will also be less pleasant as a drive, having to sit behind hulking great pieces of steel. These people won't give up their rides - they'll go to another area instead. This will greatly impact on these towns' small economies, already struggling due to covid restrictions.
I know that many people will say their jobs depend on this expansion, but why not simply make the quarry last longer, and thus ensure the long term security of these jobs and this industry by not expanding? If the quarry was to maintain it's status quo, then no jobs are lost, but ensured to continue for the longer term.
Daracon can afford to not expand this quarry - the residents of these towns cannot afford their local businesses to close. Daracon is such a huge business with so many interests, please don't favour the big business over small town residents. We are the lifeblood of this state. We have families to feed, put through school, and pay medical bills for. Daracon can afford to fight this with all their resources behind them. Don't make this an unfair battle by pitting the might of industry against smalltown residents.