Monaro Rock Quarry Project

I work at HVO. Have been there for 15years. It's good for the community. My family depends on this project.

I think the project is harmful to the environment and surrounding communities.

The Royalla Community Association strongly opposes the proposed Monaro Rock quarry and industrial plant. We represent the interests of the community, and at multiple meetings since the quarry was announced, the consensus of the community and association members has been overwhelmingly opposed to the quarry.

This quarry will profit the few at the risk and detriment of the many and should not be permitted in this location. We are not opposed to quarrying or businesses or profit; we are strongly opposed to doing these things when the harm and negative impacts to the community are so great. There is no social license for this proposed Development.

Please deny this quarry and industrial plant in this location.

We oppose the quarry for the following reasons.

FUNCTION AND ZONING
What was originally proposed as a quarry is now an industrial plant including quarrying, concrete recycling, concrete production and asphalt production. The site is proposed on land zoned as C2 and RU2, which explicitly prohibit and exclude developments such as this, preserving the land for conservation and rural living. This alone should be sufficient to stop this development.

TRAFFIC
The proposed intersection to connect to the Monaro Highway will increase the risk to commuters and will increase travel times. The proposed entry to the Monaro is on a crest known to be a high accident zone already. The road already struggles to handle snow traffic, quarry traffic from Williamsdale, and logging trucks. Heavy fog means that travellers may not see entering trucks. We have a genuine concern that people will lose their lives from accidents because of the increased heavy vehicle movements.

Any alternate route down Mates Drive and Old Cooma Road is unacceptable to the community as it puts heavy trucks on the same roads where children walk to the school bus stop and people ride their horses. On a dark winter morning, they will be at increased risk. Some quarry traffic using Old Cooma Road would still enter the Monaro Highway, and this would also endanger commuters and slow traffic.

Up to 500 heavy truck movements per day is an average of around one every three minutes in each direction, 13 hours a day, six days a week. At peak times, it will be a lot more frequent.

The EIS’ traffic assessment was done during COVID when Victoria was in lockdown and many residents were working from home. This is not representative of current and future traffic on that road. Further, the EIS traffic survey was not done during the peak ski season and so does not consider the extra traffic that will be present for those four months of the year.

When the Monaro is inevitably closed due to accidents, all quarry traffic will go by Old Cooma Road, and this has not been considered in the EIS and is not acceptable to the community.

DUST
The quarry will create silica dust, and the community is genuinely concerned that it will not and cannot be adequately suppressed for the 30-year lifespan of the project. There is growing evidence that long term exposure to silica dust has drastic health implications. We are concerned that it will be breathed in by tens of thousands of residents in ACT and NSW, young and old, who may suffer greatly in the long term. Our children live and grow here, and it would be a tragedy that society and government would put the profits of the few before the health of the many residents.

Dust will collect on roofs impacting the efficiency of solar panels and requiring more regular cleaning. Dust will be collected into domestic drinking water tanks gathering as sediment, clogging filters and damaging pumps. Dust may also impact pets and livestock and native animals.

Monaro Rock's wind forecast is based on data from Isabella Plains. While this is the closest weather monitoring station, it is in a valley and surrounded by suburbs. By comparison, the quarry site is near the top of a hill and exposed. It is likely that the wind forecasts are under-stated and there will be many high wind days exceeding the EIS’ forecasts that will carry dust in many directions. All wind testing should been done locally on site.

The community is concerned that, despite commitments made by Monaro Rock, procedures won't be effective and the dust will escape. Once the quarry is approved and operating, it is very hard to get traction to fix issues. The only safe way is to ensure the quarry in this location is never approved.

ECOLOGY
The site is nestled into some of the best habitats of the critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland. There are over 300 flora and fauna species here, and the quarry proposes to clear the equivalent of 500 modern residential blocks of box-gum grassy woodland, and overall clear a size of 1440 residential blocks. The QPRC Local Environment Plan has intentionally zoned this area for conservation and government at all levels have in place protections for these endangered ecosystems.

NOISE AND VIBRATIONS
Quarries make blasting and crushing vibrations and noises, and truck movements also create noise. Inversion layers during cold weather can carry the noise for kilometres. Residents near existing quarries regularly complain about the blasting noises and vibrations from that quarry and have suffered structural damage. There's a reasonable chance that noise from this proposed quarry and industrial plant will have a detrimental impact on residents as well as fauna, and a chance of more structural damage to houses, septic systems and concrete water tanks.

ODOUR
Asphalt and concrete production create odours that will carry long distances on strong winds and be an irritant or nuisance for residents in the ACT and NSW. This can be especially impactful for pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.

LOCATION
There are an estimated 49,000 people living within 5km of this quarry, projected to grow to 69,000 within ten years. The nearest ACT suburban residence is 2.2km in Theodore and the nearest NSW resident is 1.5km away. The closeness to suburban populations and rural residences will increase the impact of dust, noise and odour.

The rhyodacite rock sought by the quarry is readily available between the ACT and Cooma, with plentiful locations where few people live close. While this would increase transport costs, it would impact residents and commuters much less. We believe the primary reason for the quarry's location is to reduce costs and increase profits for Monaro Rock or any future operator. This should not be allowed to happen when the risks and impacts are so high from being close to a large population.

ECONOMIC BENEFIT
The current quarries are under-producing and so currently there is more supply than demand. The revenue made by Monaro Rock would therefore be a loss of the same to another quarry, a near-zero sum game. As such there is likely no overall economic benefit to taxpayers or residents or anyone other than the owners of the company. Given that the risks and impacts are borne by the community, but the profits go to the few, this quarry should be rejected.

NO EXCESSIVE DEMAND
There are five known quarries within a 50km radius of Royalla, NSW, with three of them located within 10km. The two nearest quarries are operating well under their full capacity, and one is considering an application to expand their production. We reject as evidently false Monaro Rock's claim that there is any shortfall in production capacity for years to come.

WATER RUNOFF
Water from the quarry will be discharged into Tuggeranong Creek and find its way into Lake Tuggeranong. Under adverse weather conditions, or if dams fail, there could be impact to the ecology of Lake Tuggeranong. Runoff also impacts the Murrumbidgee and Lake Burley Griffin, residents and the ecology in the ACT.

GROUNDWATER USAGE
The facility aims to use up to 42 million litres of water per year. Residents are concerned about the lowering of water tables and changing the quality of the water, which impacts drinking and managing livestock.

INDIGENOUS ARTEFACTS
The facility contains culturally significant sites including a scar tree and ring tree plus potential archaeological deposits. The community values and is concerned for the safety and protection of these artefacts.

Submission approved by
Committee of the Royalla Community Association Inc.
23 September 2025.
President and Secretary
The Royalla Community Association Inc

I object to the Quarry proposal on the basis of its location near rural residential areas, and its impact on local traffic. The quarry is in proximity to Royalla, Fernleigh Park and Little Burra where there are many hundreds of small acreages. The noise, dust and visual impact of the quarry will significantly impact these residents. Large trucks going to and from the quarry will also significantly impact the single lane traffic on Old Cooma Road. We heard from the ACT Government that there are no plans to offer access to the Monaro Highway. So the trucks will need to share the road back to Queanbeyan with commuters through Googong, causing major problems. I seek rejection of the proposal or at least a significant review of its social impact.

Please review the attached document which details our (my neighbourhoods) vehement objection to this proposal.

As a resident in Royalla of many years I strongly object to the new quarry proposal. I do not believe a new quarry is in keeping with the local environment nor the wishes of local residents. In particular, the expected significant increase in heavy vehicles on our roads would have an immediate and negative impact to the community. The intersection of the Monaro Highway with Old Cooma Rd is a prime example of a high accident zone when a poorly designed intersection is imposed on a single lane high speed zone. Additionally, heavy vehicles obviously cause significantly more damage to an already strained road system. Apart from the impact on Box Gum Grassy Woodland area it is the silica dust that the quarry would generate that concerns me. We live in a rural area largely free from pollution and I do not believe this environment would be sustained with the potential of silica dust fallout and odours caused by hot mix asphalt. With four quarries with over 100 year capacities within only 30km's, I do not see any need for further quarries in our local area. Please feel free to to contact me to discuss.

Quarry operations will create a significant impact on the environment of near by suburbs, schools and the community. Creating 30 employment opportunities does not justify the impact that will deeply affect the community and future generations.

NSW Major Projects
My submission is provided as a highly concerned resident, loyal community member, a mother and wife that has sought a place to raise a young family and as an advocate for what is not in keeping with any of the above should this quarry be approved in the future.
I have listened, spoken and read much of the documentation and discussion of both sides for both the for and against and I am failing to see why this quarry is in the best interests of any one beyond Monaro Rock.
I do appreciate how they have attempted to engage and aid understanding of such a project however the limitations they have also placed on such a project, namely the considerations for locals in both the short and long term I feel are sadly dismissed only to advance their own affairs.
In an early online engagement where they looked to provide information and reassurance to the project, the members they had presenting quickly came undone even over the simple question of the tree screening associated with the project. To know that mere saplings will “screen” the site is shortsighted for those that will be horribly impacted with these works on what is a largely untouched area of the QPRC district. It is why we love Royalla.
The highly potential affect to our drinking water seems to have been, excuse the pun, largely washed over. Many of the residents rely on tank water. To then have this affected by the known dust stirred through quarry activity will not be mitigated by the quarry developers. Many of us, including myself, have young children with no access to town water supply. Are we for thirty years to install and maintain additional filtration in order to mitigate this increased risk of silica dust in our tanks.
This was countered by the developers in their aim to use the existing water from deep underground. However, again, a finite resource that many of us also rely on to ensure that we can maintain our own properties and mitigate the affects of the warming climate and associated erosion and tree loss. Is this quarry actually believing they are doing more good than harm?
Further, irrespective of those activities that occur on the quarry site, there are the inherent other activities that will occur external to the site, namely the movement of large trucks and other vehicles that the infrastructure in this area is grossly insufficient to support.
The increasing use of the Monaro Highway as other township populations expand and therefore a greater number of transiting workers to the Canberra area is already impacting numbers of vehicles on the Monaro. This is plain to see even in the peak holiday times of the snow and summer. The road at this time is but a patchwork of fixes that come undone in short time due to the large number of vehicle movements.
In addition, one only need to transit the first one kilometre if the south end of Old Cooma Road to see the number of wildlife deaths due to the vehicle movements - and this is but a smaller road. The wildlife hit, injured and killed along the Monaro between the proposed new entrance and to the Lanyon Drive roundabout is also concerning. Adding the potential of 500 more truck movements to this will not only create many more further hazards to road users associated with killed and injured wildlife, it will likely impact the movement of these animals to other areas, creating issues in those areas.
We moved here a number of years ago for the tree change and to raise a young family. This was a wonderful area that had a rich history in the foothill of Mt Rob Roy from where Royalla gets its name. Now, yes, the very sheep station that our community was founded from, we are playing for sheep stations to keep Royalla preserved and protected from quarry activities that are not required, significantly impacting community, and grossly impacting our environment.
I am imploring those that have a say in this, that you do not allow this to occur. Use your funding and research capabilities to support other quarry activities, and importantly, the communities impacted by them, but ask you do not impact us.

The decision to allow a quarry and industrial estate on RU2 and C2 zoned land. As I understand this proposal contravenes the allowances under these zoning categories. Simply allowing this quarry to be established creates a mockery of the zoning process, and the public’s trust in the process.
The proposed quarry would extract up to 1 million tonnes of hard rock annually for 30 years, with the site close to homes in NSW and the ACT and trucks using community roads 13 hours per day, six days per week. This raises serious concerns, and I urge the NSW Planning department oppose this development, which impacts the communities in Royalla, Googong, Jerrabomberra and Burra, and those suburbs in South Canberra.
Traffic
Appendix I Road Transport Assessment of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) contradicts itself in respect to the number of heavy vehicles moving in and out of the proposed quarry.
In Section 3.6 Transport Limits (P27) it states that the ‘following limits on operational transport activities are proposed: no more than 200 laden trucks would travel to or from the Project Site on any one day’. In Table 4.2: Heavy Vehicle Trip Generation by Activity Type at Maximum Quarry Production (P33), states there will be 200 loads of Quarry product despatch with 400 trips. This is double to what was quoted above and with the additional 310 movements listed in the table – this equates to a maximum of 710 heavy vehicle trips per day, with 355 (half) being fully laden.
These heavy vehicle movements would be added to the Monaro Highway, which currently carries an average volume of 10,000 vehicles per day near Royalla, 20% of which are already heavy vehicles. An additional 710 trucks entering and leaving the Monaro Highway poses a significant risk to commuter safety and will impact travel times. Already there have been a number of fatal accidents in the area that the quarry will impact.
There is simply no safe way to move the material from this site. The science used by the proposer for heavy vehicles to enter onto the Monaro Hwy is dangerously flawed. The study (Appendix A) used to create the statistics used to make the assessments were conducted during the period just before and while Victoria was in Covid-19 lockdown for the 14-day period from Friday 28th May 2021 to Thursday 10th June 2021. This was anything but a normal period of time to be ‘driving on our roads’. The impact of an additional 710 heavy vehicles in ‘today’s’ traffic is a completely different story. My observation of regularly travelling along the Monaro Highway – in particular between the intersection of Royalla Drive and the roundabout on Johnson Drive, is that the traffic load has significantly increased over the past 5 years.
Everyone in our household, including our children, use this stretch of road, our friends and neighbours use this road, children commuting on the school buses use this road. Increasing the risk of accidents including fatal accidents by allowing this volume of heavy vehicles onto this road is highly inappropriate and irresponsible.
Dust
By their own admission, the quarry will extract and crush exactly the kind of hard rock that produces silica dust, described as the ‘asbestos of the 2020s’. There is growing scientific evidence and community concern that this dust has long term health impacts for people and animals. silicosis.org.au, lists quarry and mining workers as being at risk due to the crushing and processing stone in quarries and mines. Monaro Rock plans to control dust using water trucks, but this approach is impractical due to strong regional winds, especially in spring. Dust will likely travel long distances, risking health and contaminating local drinking water tanks.
A lesser issue is the impact of the settling dust in the tanks which use pumps to provide water to the homes in the area. The dust will lessen the life of the water pumps and increase the cost of living in the area.
Ecological and Environmental Concerns
The quarry site is on land zoned as C2 (“Environmental conservation”) and RU2 (“Rural Landscape”). The quarry’s impacts are in direct opposition to the legislated objectives of these zones and are by default prohibited.
The property encompasses 218 hectares of Critically Endangered Box Gum Grassy Woodland, a vital ecological community supporting over 320 native species of flora and fauna. This unique habitat is increasingly rare and plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. These woodlands are easy to ‘gloss over’ but with simple research it is easy to identify them as ancient systems shaped over tens of thousands of years by evolving Australian landscapes and the human cultures that have interacted with them. Their existence pre-dates written history, with European settlement since about 1750 significantly reducing their extent and modifying their structure through clearing and grazing, leading to their current critically endangered status. They are part of the Australian landscape that we are hanging onto with our fingertips. Missing out on having these landscapes for our children’s children make me ache with regret – let us not concrete the future – or is Toni Mitchell right that we don't know what we’ve got till it's gone, and we’ll pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
In addition, this property provides a valuable corridor between a number of reserves next door and close by. Including Tuggeranong TSR, Melrose Reserve, Mt Rob Roy Reserve, Royalla Swainsona Reserve, Royalla TSR, Wandiyali and Havelock. The proposal actually suggests (Appendix F - Visual Impact Assessment) that will install a 3m high solid fence. The fence will be a barrier to the fauna moving from environment to environment – blocking the natural ‘roaming’ of our wildlife and to an extent the dispersal of natural flora. This is inconsistent with the environmental values and planning principles that underpin the Queanbeyan-Palerang region.
Economics
There is little economic benefit for the community or Council. As the three other quarries nearby are under-producing, any productivity gain for Monaro Rock would be a similar loss for the existing quarries, resulting in approximately a zero-sum economic benefit.
Other concerns
As a local resident, I want to raise several serious concerns about the Monaro Rocks quarry proposal that I hope the NSW Department of Planning and Environment will take into account:
Water Usage: The quarry plans to extract up to 42.4 million litres of groundwater each year. That’s a huge amount, and I’m deeply worried about the impact this will have on our local water table. It could affect the availability of water for residents like me and damage the surrounding environment.
Water Runoff: There’s a real risk that polluted water from the site could end up in Tuggeranong Creek and eventually flow into Lake Tuggeranong. This isn’t just a local issue - it affects downstream communities and ecosystems too.
Electricity Supply: I’ve lived through the problems caused by the Williamsdale Quarry, where residents experienced brownouts and damage to appliances every time the plant started up in the morning. I’m concerned we’ll face similar issues again, with impacts on our homes and daily lives.
Local Character: Royalla is a peaceful, rural-residential area. A quarry of this scale simply doesn’t belong here. These kinds of operations are usually located in remote areas - not next to family homes and quiet communities.
Alternative Locations: The same hard rock is available elsewhere, from Canberra to Cooma. The only reason to put the quarry here seems to be financial gain for the company, while the rest of us bear the cost - through noise, dust, traffic, and disruption to our way of life.

Submission: Objection to the Proposed Monaro Rock Quarry in Royalla

To Whom It May Concern,
I’m writing as a local resident of Royalla to strongly oppose the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry. I’ve lived here for just shy of a decade, and like many others, I chose this area for its peacefulness, safety, and sense of community. The idea of allowing a massive quarry to be built right next to our properties, which are zoned environmental living, is most distressing.

Too Close to Homes
The proposed site is within 10km of 49,000 people’s homes. It will affect Royalla residents and is also in very close proximity to Canberra and our children’s schools. That’s not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous. Quarries are noisy, dusty, and disruptive. They don’t belong in residential areas where they can significantly impact our wellbeing.

Health Concerns
I’m especially worried about the dust — particularly silica dust. Members of my family already suffer from Asthma and other allergies, before you introduce poisonous dust from the quarry. Even if the levels are technically “within limits,” we all know how unpredictable wind and weather can be. Once that dust is in the air, it’s in our lungs, our gardens, and our kids’ playgrounds. The long-term health risks are real, and I don’t think they’ve been taken seriously enough.

Traffic and Safety
The plan includes up to 200 truck movements a day. That’s a huge increase in heavy vehicle traffic on roads that weren’t built for it. It’s not just about congestion — it’s about safety. More trucks mean more risk, especially for families, our young learner drivers and school buses using the same roads. This affects a vast number of people who use the Monaro highway every day, all the way down to Cooma residents and beyond. The road is already dangerous enough, exacerbated further during ski season and on long weekends, without introducing such a huge number of trucks.

Environmental Impact
Royalla is a peaceful part of the world and we are lucky to be surrounded by bushland including critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland. Turning this land into an industrial site will destroy habitats, change the landscape, and affect local flora and fauna. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. No amount of “rehabilitation” can undo that kind of damage.

We Already Have Quarries Nearby
It’s also worth pointing out that there are already four quarries operating in the surrounding region. These quarries have existing capacity to last over 100 years. We do not need another one on our doorstep.

Community and Property Values
This proposal is already causing stress and anxiety in the community. People are worried about their health, their homes, and their future. Property values will drop, and the appeal of Royalla will diminish, affecting the lovely nature of this community.

To sum up: this quarry is not appropriate. It’s too close, too risky, and too disruptive. The proposal must be rejected to maintain our community and protect our families.

I offer my object to this project for the following reasons:
* I'm concerned about my health from dust which contains silica that will drift over the local area.
* Increased traffic on Old Cooma road. Extra trucks and cars will be traveling down old cooma road and frankly it can barely support the traffic that travels down it now let alone the volume of trucks and cars linked to the quarry. It is already a high accident area and the increased traffic will only add to the incidents of accidents. More heavy vehicles will add to the degradation of the road surface. Eventually the quarry plan to enter directly to the Monaro highway. This also has its own challenges. In winter it is a high fog area with limited visibility.
Please don't approve this project. The site proposed for quarry negatively affects the whole community of Royalla and beyond.

I am concerned about the dust from the quarry, silica, causing health issues for the Lanyon Valley. I am also concerned about the number of trucks using the road & the increase in noise. As well as the land & water pollution.

The quarry project will have a lasting and significant impact on the lives of me, my family and my community. The negative health impacts will last generations and the NSW government will be liable for any adverse impacts which should be very easy to link to this decision. The short sighted decision will have long lasting negative impacts. Silica dust has been proven cause silicosis and will be a clear consequence of the decision to allow mining so close to residential proprieties. There is no safe way protect the community from the impacts of this insidious cancer other than to not allow the quarry to continue. I have no confidence that the company undertaking the proposal will abide by any safeguards or guarantees. Previous work in the area has seen significant destruction of the roads due to the volume of heavy trucks with no accountability or repair. The residents bear the impact of this negligence and irresponsible actions on a daily business. This will be exacerbated by even heavier truck traffic if the quarry goes ahead. The environmental impact will also be significant and irreparable. There are other sites that are far less dangerous to the community. It will increase the cost due to longer transport distances but that is nothing compared to the cost in personal terms if the quarry goes ahead. Greed shouldn’t be an excuse to justify this proposal. There are many better ways to address the needs of the construction industry that have far less impact to the community. The relative value of properties will also drop due to the quarry. A fact that none of the residents were aware of when purchasing their homes. Human, environmental and financial loss for an entire community are the impacts of this quarry goes ahead. Hundreds if not thousands of people for many generations will be negatively impacted.

Submission Opposing the Proposed Monaro Rock Quarry at Royalla

I strongly oppose the proposed Monaro Rock quarry at Royalla. This development poses serious risks to community health, safety, the environment, and quality of life, and should not proceed.

Health: Quarrying will release fine silica dust, which is hazardous to human health and can cause severe respiratory illnesses. Residents, including children and vulnerable people, should not be exposed to this risk.

Noise and Disturbance: Blasting, crushing, and heavy machinery will create constant noise and vibration, disrupting sleep, daily life, and the wellbeing of nearby communities.

Traffic and Safety: Hundreds of heavy truck movements each day will significantly increase congestion, road damage, and the risk of serious accidents on an already busy highway.

Environmental Impact: The quarry will degrade local ecosystems, increase dust and air pollution, risk contamination of water sources, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. It will also disrupt wildlife habitats and undermine the natural character of the Royalla region.

Cumulative Impact: With several quarries already operating nearby, another is unnecessary and will only compound the existing health, safety, traffic, and environmental pressures.

For these reasons, I urge decision-makers to reject the Monaro Rock quarry proposal at Royalla. The risks and long-term costs far outweigh any short-term economic gain.

I strongly object to the project.
I have valid concerns regarding the long lasting environmental and health impacts of the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry to all the surrounding areas. The increased heavy vehicle congestion to the highway and area will also have a negative impact on the surrounding estates towns and suburbs.

The following points are provided to support my objection:

Social Impact

Community members have consistently raised concerns about this project, yet there remains a strong perception that these concerns will not influence the outcome. The Community Consultation session held on 16 April 2021 left many with the view that the development is already predetermined. More recently, in August 2025, the Monaro Rock newsletter acknowledged that the project would bring “change beyond the community’s control” and introduce impacts unfamiliar to the area. Such statements reinforce the belief that local voices are being disregarded.

For over two decades, my husband, our children, and I have called Royalla home. Since 2005, we have invested financially, physically, and emotionally in building a life here. We selected this location after years of searching, attracted by the quiet rural character, natural beauty, and wildlife. Over 20 years, we have worked to establish the property into a place we are proud of — one that reflects both sacrifice and long-term commitment.

The proposal directly conflicts with a rural-residential lifestyle. Residents bought properties expecting the area to remain rural; it is unjust to rezone land for industrial use after 20 years and expect them to absorb the social, environmental, and lifestyle impacts. The developers should offer residents the option of compensation at the current market value to reflect the disruption and devaluation caused by the project, and allow residents to relocate if desired due to the associated health risks.

The looming prospect of losing the amenity and lifestyle we have worked so hard to secure has created significant and ongoing stress. What is at stake is not just property value, but the erosion of well-being, security, and community character — all of which will be compromised for external commercial gain.

Project Need

Quarries in this region have traditionally been located away from residential areas, with suburbs later expanding toward them. This proposal departs from that practice by establishing operations immediately adjacent to existing homes, creating avoidable conflict.

There is no demonstrated requirement for a fifth quarry. Existing sites have the capacity to meet regional demand well into the future. Claims to the contrary rely on speculation rather than verifiable evidence. Williamsdale Quarry has confirmed it holds sufficient reserves, and Heidelberg Materials’ acquisition of the Elvin Group indicates both long-term commitment and capacity to scale supply. Public information also confirms Holcim’s Cooma Road quarry can expand extraction and production until at least October 2035 under current approvals.

In addition, the proposal seeks to establish a concrete recycling plant despite two existing facilities already operating at Symonston and Pialligo, an asphalt plant despite two operating in Hume, and yet another concrete batching plant on-site. These facilities are duplicative, unnecessary, and fail the planning requirement of demonstrated need.

On this basis, the proposal fails the fundamental planning test of demonstrated need. Establishing a new quarry in Royalla would duplicate existing capacity, impose significant social and environmental costs, and deliver no clear strategic benefit to the region.

Air Quality

Residents of southern Royalla already experience significant dust pollution from the existing Williamsdale quarry, despite that operation being subject to similar mitigation requirements as proposed for this project. These controls have not prevented regular and problematic dust events, highlighting the limitations of industry assurances. There is little basis to expect Monaro Rock’s operations to achieve a higher standard.

Prevailing north-westerly winds place Royalla directly in the path of airborne particulate matter. In addition to health risks from inhalable pollutants, dust will accumulate on household roofs, contaminating rainwater tanks that provide the community’s sole source of potable water. This presents a direct and unacceptable risk to both public health and residential amenity.

Resident Health

Prevailing north-westerly winds place Royalla directly in the path of airborne pollutants from the proposed operation. Of particular concern is Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS), which may be generated through open-cut extraction and processing of Rhyodacitic Ignimbrite containing 30–40% quartz. Crushing and handling of this material has a high potential to release RCS particles into the surrounding environment.

RCS exposure is widely recognised as comparable to asbestos in lethality, with no safe level of exposure. Even low concentrations present unacceptable health risks. The reliance on heavy machinery for extraction and handling would further increase dust emissions, compounding the risk of exposure for nearby residents.

Authorities have only recently begun addressing the severity of RCS, now referred to as “the new asbestos” due to its association with silicosis and other fatal health conditions. With Royalla residents located so close to the proposed site — and with prevailing winds from the northwest occurring over 21% of the time — there is no credible assurance that exposure can be avoided.

On this basis, the proposal fails to meet the fundamental obligation to protect public health. Any level of risk of silica exposure is unacceptable and should be treated as such in the assessment process.

Noise

For over 20 years, Royalla has provided a quiet rural environment where the predominant sounds are those of native wildlife. Residents, including myself, are accustomed to — and highly value — this natural soundscape, which contributes significantly to the area’s amenity and liveability.

The introduction of quarry operations would fundamentally alter this environment. While I have not previously lived near such operations, it is evident that machinery capable of crushing hard rock and recycled concrete, combined with heavy equipment required to transport material on-site, will generate ongoing industrial noise. Such activity is entirely inconsistent with the existing rural acoustic environment.

The proponent has suggested that noise levels will be comparable to those of a domestic air-conditioner compressor. This claim is not credible. The scale and intensity of quarrying and associated recycling processes will inevitably result in intrusive, continuous noise that cannot be reconciled with the current amenity.

Accordingly, the proposal poses an unacceptable risk of long-term noise pollution, undermining both residential amenity and the rural character of Royalla.

Biodiversity

The proposal seeks to transform land currently zoned C2 (Environmental Conservation) and RU2 (Rural Landscape) into a large-scale industrial quarry and processing facility. This is in direct conflict with the objectives of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2022, which was specifically established to safeguard these zones from incompatible land uses.

The impacts of quarrying extend well beyond the project footprint. Blasting, continuous machinery noise, heavy vehicle movements, and progressive habitat destruction will create a hostile environment for wildlife across a wide radius. Mobile species will be displaced, while less mobile fauna and flora will be lost as habitat fragmentation and degradation intensify.

The site includes remnants of critically endangered Box Gum Woodland, a community listed under Federal legislation due to its role in supporting threatened flora and fauna. Every remaining patch of this ecosystem is of national importance. Destruction of this community cannot be adequately addressed through offsetting, which fails to replicate the ecological value of irreplaceable habitat.

Approving the removal of such high-conservation-value land, in breach of local planning instruments, would set a dangerous precedent. It would prioritise short-term private financial gain over the permanent loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the well-being of the broader community.

Transport

The proposal to access the Monaro Highway with fully loaded 19-metre B-Double trucks, occasionally extending to 25-metre vehicles, presents a significant safety risk. Trucks entering or attempting to accelerate along the highway near the crest — an area of limited visibility — would encounter vehicles travelling at 100 km/h or more, creating a high likelihood of serious accidents.

The highway is already subject to unsafe driving behaviours, including speeding, impatience, and poor use of headlights, particularly during low-visibility conditions and the snow season. The mitigation measure of a northbound merge lane does not address the risks posed to southbound traffic, nor does it adequately protect northbound drivers attempting to merge while navigating limited sightlines.

With an estimated 200 truck movements per day, the proposal introduces an unacceptable and unnecessary hazard. The cumulative risk to motorists, pedestrians, and other road users is substantial, making the project incompatible with safe and responsible transport management.

Water Supply

Our household relies entirely on rainwater collected in tanks and stored in a dam for all domestic needs, including gardening and farming use. These sources are essential to our lifestyle and property amenity.

Dust, sediment, or chemical runoff from quarry operations will contaminate and reduce the quality of our water, posing a direct risk to health as it is our sole potable supply. While the developer claims neighbouring water users will not be affected, the potential for airborne or sediment-borne pollutants entering our tanks makes this assurance unreliable. Any reduction in water quality would compromise household use and create serious health risks.

To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to formally object to the proposed Royalla Quarry project by Monaro Rock, due to serious concerns regarding public health, environmental degradation, and community impact.
The generation of silica dust from quarry operations presents a significant health hazard. Exposure to respirable crystalline silica is known to cause serious lung diseases, including silicosis, and poses a long-term risk to both workers and nearby residents.
Furthermore, the expected increase in heavy vehicle traffic and noise will disrupt the peaceful rural character of Royalla. The volume and frequency of truck movements will contribute to road wear, noise pollution, and reduced safety for local residents.
Lastly, the project threatens environmental destruction, including the loss of native vegetation, disturbance of wildlife habitats, and potential contamination of soil and water systems. These impacts are deeply concerning and incompatible with the values of our community and the surrounding natural landscape.
I respectfully urge the relevant authorities to reject this proposal and to prioritise the health, safety, and environmental integrity of Royalla.
Bob Barnes

I have recently heard about a quarry which is proposed to be built 4km from my house! I am absolutely upset that this is being proposed so close to my home. I use the Monaro Highway every day, to commute to work into Woden and my son drives into Campbell every week day. The highway is currently difficult to navigate with all the road works from Johnstone Drive round about up to past the ACT jail. The thought of an additional 500 trucks a day adding to the traffic is unthinkable and makes me nervous to drive on the road. What safety precautions and road design will be put in place to reduce the risk of accidents? Also is the concern of the dust in the air, I am a nurse and have nursed patients with respiratory diseases, some of which are living with chronic respiratory diseases and thus near our home is of great concern. This is not a project that needs to be anywhere near people. The environmental impact, critically endangered woodlands and impact on our wildlife is the major reason this should not be developed in this area .

As a resident of Royalla who lives locally and travels on Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway along the proposed route of trucks from the proposed Monaro Quarry I object to the increased number of heavy vehicles and the placement of the access road as they pose a significant risk to safety of human and animal life on these roads. The data provided which suggests that the increase in trucks on both the Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway is acceptable and that queuing on these roads can be done safely is unlikely. The data provided is based on the average number of vehicles annually when local residents know well that winter and summer peaks of traffic going to the snowy mountains increases the risks of accidents and poses increased threat to death of wildlife. The increased number of heavy vehicles and placement of the access road onto the Monaro Highway increases the risk that vehicles may be involved in an accident with wildlife or other motorists who frequently endanger other motorists when frustrated at delays in the traffic. The risk of head on collision will increase if 100’s of trucks are entering both Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway, I gave narrowly missed being hit by impatient motorists many times and replaced the windscreen on my cars multiple times following breakage behind quarry trucks over the past 15 years. Implementing traffic lights at the intersections is one way to reduce this risk if the proposal goes ahead. In addition to vehicle safety issues the presence of silica dust arising from the quarry operations is of serious health concern to local residents with current evidence available that confirms silica is a carcinogenic substance. Should the quarry be approved the NSW Government and the Monaro Quarry will be subject to compensation claims for silica ingestion.

I am very concerned about the Monaro Rock Quarry project. I live nearby in Banks and its proximity to my home and many others is worrying me. My concerns include the vast number of trucks, the noise, the air pollution especially the silica dust and other particulate matter and fumes, the land degradation, the water pollution in Tuggeranong, and the drop in house prices. I am also concerned about the environment and the destruction of the native plants and wildlife, and also the proximity to the tree of immense Aboriginal cultural significance. Please do not build this quarry and asphalt and concrete manufacturing plant.