Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility

We object to the proposed facility on the basis that among other things, there is no proper access available to the site without going through residential areas on roads that are totally inadequate in size and geography for at least 40x B double 20 tonne truck movements per day. The proposed route also provides that all trucks will arrive via the Berrima exit of the Hume Highway but who will police trucks which attempt to come up more directly from Wollongong via the totally unsuitable Macquarie Pass?

Plastic recycling is a very important issue but Plasrefine in Moss Vale is not the right location.

It is inappropriate to build a plastic recycling facility for Canberra, Sydney and Wollongong’s plastic waste in a regional area which does not have the infrastructure to support it. Our suburban roads are designed for light trucks and cars, not the 50+ huge trucks which will be using the roads in and out 24/7.

The proposed site for Plasrefine is inappropriate because of it’s proximity to the centre of Moss Vale. It is within 100 metres of homes and two schools as well as a childcare centre. The latter two are of concern because of safety issues resulting from the increase in traffic near young children.

The facility will result in an increase in significant air pollution for the Southern Highlands, noise and impact visually on a beautiful location.

I strongly object to this facility being built in the current proposed location.

Hello, I am totally against this proposal. Access is appalling and almost non-existent. This is a rural area, just 2-3 kms from the town centre, schools etc. What about the residents here, don't we matter? It will be using unacceptable quantities of water even after you have harvested rainwater from the roof with only 150,000L of water storage it is only 3 days supply. And then to want to pump 16,300L of contaminated water a day to our almost non-existent sewerage system. I understand that the system would be accepting plastic recycling from intrastate & interstate, BUT not accepting recycling from the Wingecarribee area, WHY? So we the residents have to put up with prutable waste travelling on our roads 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, to a rural area. Then the waste from that is to be trucked to the Bowral waste, then what happens to it, burnt? With subsequent unacceptable health risks to everyone. This proposal doesn't stack up on so many counts that I can't count them and how it got this far I will never know. Just another project to be dumped on our doorsteps and someone hoping we don't notice, someone making a quick buck and not suffering any consequences. It is not right, thank you for accepting my submission.

Please refer to attached objection letter

This facility is wrong on many levels:
Height/bulk being excessive site coverage, lack of road infrastructure from the highway to cope with at least 40x19m/20 tonne trucks per day to receive waste, which does not include the number required to remove sludge to Lucas Heights and to transport manufactured furniture from the recycled waste. There is currently no access onto the site other than through neighbouring long established residential areas and no consent given by the three neighbouring properties to run a further extension of 900m length to Braddon Road. The project will require high water use and their proposed roof rainwater harvesting cannot be guaranteed to provide required water. There are also potential water catchment pollution issues including straining the local sewage system. Foul odours are likely to be blown by the prevailing westerlies into the town and its neighbouring tourist destinations which comprise a major industry of the area. Finally, the town has not as yet developed its Master Plan for the Southern Highlands Innovation Park where the site lies which means that it should be impossible to approve the proponent's application at this time.

I object to the Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility , Project ID SSD-9409987. The Owner of "Plasrefine" is planning to build a huge plastics recycling plant near residential land using existing agricultural land. The factory is proposed to be located within 200m from residential homes off Beaconsfield Road Moss Vale. Hence this Site has 2 incompatible zones, Conservation (C4) and 7.7ha of General Industrial (IN1). Importantly the Owner and Operator of Plasrefine is from China, where it is well known that the plastics factory industry in China creates toxic visible fumes, concentrated with poisonous chemicals, dangerous to human health and the environment in this residential and rural area. The Chinese "recycling" factories are well documented in producing plastic waste which clogs up nearby rivers causing more pollution, in this case the Category 2 riparian waterway that flows directly into the Wingecarribee River. In fact Plasrefine is proposing to pump 16,300L of contaminated water a day into the local Moss Vale sewage system. The old technology and recycling techniques proposed for use by Plasrefine will cause more pollution and toxic fumes in the long term. Wouldn't it make more sense to work with the Australian Owned CSIRO and integrate their cutting-edge compostable bioplastic science solutions, helping them extend the advantage of the $50M investment for their CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission, rather than allow old cheap toxic technologies used in Chinese Factories. Lastly in this proposal there are no detailed plans, architectural drawings and diagrams of the factory complexes, only basic concept plans for the 38,638 square metres of buildings, a 6ha complex over 5 storeys (18 m) in height proposal. This is a poor proposal for a factory proposing to use old technology that will cause more toxic fumes and pollution and make money for the owner.

We live with our two young children (four and two years old) approximately 2 km from the site. We are deeply concerned by the health risks such a mammoth plant poses to the welfare of our kids and everyone else in the area.
Studies have shown that respiratory diseases, skin rashes, potential cancers etc are distinct dangers to people living near these plants.
Of particular concern to us is the toxic airborne compounds released by the plastic refining process.
Our four-year-old was born with a massive lung injury and we cannot have him (or anyone else) breathing in airborne toxins that such a factory will emit.
There are also two schools and a day-care centre very near the proposed site.
We cannot risk the health of locals and their families just so a corporation can rake in some profits.

Moss Vale is the fastest growing region in the Wingecarribee shire. Many families and people from Sydney are moving to Moss Vale in unprecedented numbers, especially in the wake of Covid. With population and development booming, it makes no sense to build a massive plastic recycling plant just a five-minute drive from the main street (Argyle).
This is the wrong site in the wrong town.

We live on Berrima Road. This is, already, a very busy road with a huge number of trucks and heavy vehicles using it.
To deliver their quota of materials, Plasrefine estimate 160-200 heavy vehicle movements and 240 light vehicle movements PER DAY!
The noise and traffic on Berrima Road and other, already, congested roads will be unbearable.

The background and business practices of those behind Plasrefine are highly questionable.
Plarefine was only recently registered in Australia (for the express purposes of building this plant.)
It is owned and capitalised by Chinese interests. They have no interest in serving and collaborating with the local community.
The owners of the company have a history of environmental breaches on their resume.
The community engagement on the project has been pitiful. Many of our neighbours have no idea the proposal even exists. Most don't even know about this objection forum! It has been left up to conscientious, concerned locals to educate the community about the project and draw their attention to it.
It has been extremely difficult to have any conversations with Plasrefine. For such a huge project that will impact so many locals, there has been a disturbing lack of transparency throughout the entire process.
We are not remotely convinced that proper due diligence and environmental impact work has been done on the project.
Thus, it is very hard to argue that the building of this plant will contribute in any meaningful way to the local economy or residents.

We beg you to consider the welfare and health of Southern Highlands communities who will be impacted by this plant.
There are just too many potential health risks and massive disruptions to our region to allow a factory of this scale and operational methods to proceed.
It is the wrong site in the wrong town.

I strongly object to this proposal for a number of reasons as outlined in the attached written submission.

I am a local resident in Moss Vale who is alarmed by the Plasrefine proposal.

High Levels of Pollution
• the facility would produce 91,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year - contributing to a growth in global emissions rather than a reduction
• no proposal has been made for mitigation and the local community will be expected to tolerate environmental degradation caused by any such facility
• additional air pollution would arise from the 100 truck journeys to and from the site through the release of dangerous toxins into the air
• the local water supply would be polluted through the release of dirty water generated through the cleaning of plastics
• the odour of toxic waste being moved around in bales on the back of trucks cannot be disguised by asserting it will not smell.
• this would compound the smells that emanate from the local Bowral Waste Facility (which is notorious) and place a further burden on the local community
• a company with no record of activity in refining plastics has only made assertions about how it would manage these types of pollution and control the microfibres and plastic powders which are so dangerous if inhaled.

Drain on local resources
• existing sewage facilities will be required to accommodate the new demands created by the proposed facility without the proponent investing in any increase in capacity
• the local sewerage system has been expanded to cater for new housing developments, not for industry to take a free ride on the investment of the Southern Highlands community
• in recent years the Southern Highlands has experienced water shortages as a result of climate change. The science suggests that these water shortages will return and become worse over time and yet the proponent is seeking to drain millions of litres of water from the local dam and undermine the local community's ability to manage life while experiencing climate change.

Local roads not fit for purpose
• local access roads were not built to deal with 20 tonne trucks driving on suburban road
• 100 truck movements per day are excessive and dangerous on narrow roads
• the community is relying on the word of the proponent that the main road through Moss Vale would not be the route used by trucks to reach and depart the proposed facility.

Approach of the Proponent
• the proponent has not provided any evidence of a track record in this industry. As a result, it can be reasonably assumed that the proponent lacks any experience in managing toxic waste that will be produced on site and create pollution across the Southern Highlands.
• the company has not acquired agreement from nearby landholders to resume land and build an access road. It's approach seems to amount to shifting the cost to the local community which will be expected to deal with the degradation of our air, water and roads.

Recycling is an important and necessary industrial activity but Plasrefine is a total mismatch for the location proposed.

Plasrefine Pty Ltd is a company registered in Australia, but with 100 percent Chinese ownership, which is a concern, in these times especially.
And though the concept of a plastics recycling plant is to be encouraged, it should be sited a very considerable distance from areas of human habitation or importance, due to the many possible negative health impacts upon water and air quality from microplastics, the invalid imposition of hugely increased road traffic from delivery trucks, and the potential dangers associated with fire explosions within the plant building. If that means additional cost to create say a water supply, via pipeline, then that should be factored into the project.
In the case of the proposed Plasrefine plant, this site within the Moss Vale Light Industrial Area is about 200m from residential housing, a school and daycare centre. It also would border a riparian zone, and potentially endanger not only local drinking water but also that of the Sydney Water Catchment.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a resident of Moss Vale and live close to the township. I am strongly against the proposal to build a plastics recycling facility within 2.8 km of Moss Vale town centre.
I have this view due to the following reasons:
1) Moss Vale is a beautiful rural town surrounded by rural pasture land. Many people live in Moss Vale and the Southern Highlands region due to its beauty and rural landscape. Many people live here as it is a fantastic environment to live and raise children. I think there is a huge risk to damaging that environment and severely affecting the liveability of Moss Vale and surrounding suburbs if you allow a huge recycling plant to be built so close to a residential country town and rural homes.
There will be a large number of huge trucks carrying plastic waste moving from the freeway to Moss Vale through rural and residential land and roads. This is going to be terrible to witness for all that live on that route, create noise pollution and lead to an enormous amount of traffic through this quiet district. It is an unbelievable project to propose in a location known specifically for its natural beauty and for locals and visitors alike. The company have hugely played down the noise and pollution these trucks will bring and I do not believe their reports.I do not understand why the owners want to build this facility so far away from cities and major road, rail and airport access points. It seems very unusual and suspicious.
2) We really have no idea how much air and ground/water pollution will be created from this facility. There is not a believable estimate of that in their project paperwork and as we have no previous facility that they have built to provide any real data of comparison we really have no idea of the real damage it could do to water catchment and air pollution to nearby residents in the town and local schools and daycare centre. I work in cancer medicine as a doctor and know only too well what environmental pollutants can do to the human cell as they are responsible for the mutations that occur to stop the control of cell growth that contributes to cancer developing in many people across the world. We in Australia at least have some measure of regulation and we need to make sure that is very detailed and fully rigorous where plastics are concerned as their breakdown products contain very toxic chemical compounds. We have to be extremely careful before we plan to have this type of chemical facility anywhere near residential land and I would strongly suggest it should not be anywhere near residential land or townships. I do not understand why it has to be located here when we would have many other options for its location in NSW.
3)The proposed facility is extremely large for a proposed site that sits so close to a town, six hectares and 5 stories tall with the facility operating 24 hrs per day with trucks coming and going and the noise from the factory constant around the clock. it is a truly ludicrous proposal at this site 2.8km from the centre of Moss vale and so close to residential homes , schools and families. It will ruin the lives of the residents of Moss Vale and New Berrima and likely also affect the businesses in Moss Vale and Berrima as visiting the area will be affected by the large number of trucks and likely environmental pollution from the facility. Tourism is a huge drawcard to the Southern Highlands with Moss Vale and Berrima both of historical significance. It is hardly the ambience you wish for turning off the freeway into the southern highlands behind a trail of huge trucks carrying dirty plastic waste when you are on the way to stay in a historic cottage or visit a historic site, it is very likely to ruin tourism in the area.

I hope that you can please see this for what it is, a poorly planned facility in the wrong place that will profoundly affect residents of the southern highlands and ruin our beautiful town. I implore you not to approve this project.

regards
Dr Jackie Jones

The proposed Plaserefine Plastics Recycling factory in the township of Moss Vale, Southern Highlands is not the right site for such a large and potentially polluting project as this. This project, from the start, has failed to meet the minimum requirements for this type of development. From planning, access and the impact on the community this oversized and ill considered factory has the potential to change the district for ever. The planning of this oversized and potentially dangerous factory (air, water, traffic) will sit 2.17 km from the GPO and 5 minutes from our home (The Visy paper factory in Adelong NSW, is over 17 kilometres from the township of Tumut). This factory will sit within the town boundary - as opposed to what the company has stated. Why should one company be able to determine the future of a town of 7000 people and their livelihoods? Firstly there is the poor planning where this factory would be built. This includes an unacceptable level of exposure and risk by residents (including my family and children) of unacceptable noise (trucks entering and leaving the district every day and the factory operating 24/7) off unacceptable visual pollution (buildings 18metres high in a rural landscape) and unacceptable risk of air pollution (micro plastics and diesel fumes from truck). When I was at school in Moss Vale 30 years ago the stench from the abattoir on certain days - with prevailing winds - was so bad we would be forced to remain inside during recess and lunch and that facility (now closed) is 4.2 kilometres from the GPO. Secondly there is the issue of access for the proposed 100 truck movements per day to the site. There isn’t one. Beaconsfield Road which is how the the property is accessed isn’t suitable for heavy vehicles. It also runs directly through residential areas (the factory will be within 150 metres of peoples homes) including two schools ( a high/ primary school) and a pre-school . Plaserefine have also been vague about the 100 truck movements (or size of trucks - though they propose to move 120000 tonnes per year) in and out of the district each day with poorly communicated evidence that the trucks would even abide (who would police this?) with the required route from the Hume Highway. Lastly the long term impact of this proposal on our community and the broader district has the potential to devastate the hundreds of businesses (and the thousand of jobs they create) within the tourism/ agricultural sectors. Even the company acknowledges in its own EIS that no Social Impact Assessment has been undertaken. The community have been told to expect oversized industrial buildings where “the visual impact of the proposal would be high for the surrounding sensitive receivers … “ which, “would result in long term and adverse impacts to the landscape character .. with significant and irreversible changes” (EIS technical report p57). Moss Vale is semi rural and the concept of a large (38,638 sq metres of building) being built inside the town boundary clearly defies any council LEP policy or resident expectations of what appears to be reasonable and sound planning for a community.
As a resident of Moss Vale and the Southern Highlands, I respectfully request that this project be rejected for the reasons highlighted above. Whilst the issues of recycling are real and necessary, factories that will be required in the future should be located in heavy industrial areas (close to recycling collection points) in areas linked to rail, train, air and ports. Not in rural towns with no infrastructure, far from collection points and to the detriment of residents health and safety. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sam Jones

I object to the project because the proposed site for this Plasics Recycling Facility is simply wrong and is unacceptable to even think of building such a facility so close to the residential area . My disapproval is based on so many levels:
- Suitability of the site
- Community health and safety issues not adequately addressed
- Odour and air quality
- Impacts on the adjoining Garvan Institute of Medical Research site
- Impacts on amenities and property values
- Not having adequate infrastructure in place, especially access to the site
- Lack of meaningful consultation from the proponent
- Lack of Social Impact Assessment being completed
-Traffic impact on the area and local road
-Impact on the Tourism in the Southern Highlands and Aboriginal heritage sites in the area.
The list goes on and on.....On every single level, the impact of the Plasrefine Recycling Facility is NEGATIVE.
Moss Vale and Southern Highlands does NOT need this kind of industry not now ,not ever.
Thank you

As a professional Civil Engineer I have read the EIS with particular focus on Technical Report 6 -Traffic and Transport Issues and having extensive experience over the past 41 years in Road Construction and Maintenance and more recent detailed experience in working on REF's and other Environmental Assessments have noted that conceptually this project's Environmental Impact Statement lacks sufficient detail in relation to Road Design and Constructability on a site that is currently land locked and adjacent to a very Sensitive Receiver being Australian Bio Resources Research Facility(Garvan's) that has its access at Lackey Road. The other sensitive receivers being residential properties on Beaconsfield & Bulwer Roads. As I am also a nearby resident living exactly 1 km South of the Development location's Southern Boundary that abuts the Braddon Road Corridor. There are a number of issues of concern primarily in the long term operation of the PlasRefine Plastics Processing and Recycling Facility and in the short term specifically with the Access Road construction and with the Construction of the Site for the Processing Plant and its footprint on the 7.7 Hectare Portion of Land on the Western side of Australian Bio Resources Research Facility.
I have measured the details in Tech. Report 6 Figure 1.2 and note the following that the Building Areas for Buildings 1, 2, Site Office and the Wastewater Treatment Plant total an area of 3.4765 Hectares (34,765m2) which covers approximately 45% of the area of the subject parcel of land being developed. There are natural watercourses on the eastern and western side of the facility that will be adjacent to the road pavement that surrounds and cuts between buildings 1 and 2 and the other buildings
onsite.
I have taken account of location of dams on eastern side including a dam that sits over the development site and the adjacent Lot 10 DP1084421 This will be impacted during construction of the site as it will be changed to have a Bioretention Basin and Water Storage Basin installed on part of the dam area changing the flow paths of what is there with no defined limit of works showing how the dam can be removed from the adjoining land without draining it first. The eastern watercourse will have to be piped under the Braddon Road alignment not shown to allow flow to be maintained as per figure 1.2.
The earthworks scale for the development site is vastly larger than the footprint shown due to the amount of cut and fill required as there is level differences of about 15m from 668m ASL near creek channel NW Corner up to 683m ASL Southern Bdy with Braddon Road based on my measurements and interpolation from Topographic Maps NSW (E-Topo-Six Maps) The road levels at Lackey Road Entrance is approximately 658m ASL and the crest of the hill near the Pine Trees on Braddon Road Extension is 688m ASL 30m height difference with maximum grade of 14% on the hill this will require a substantially deep cutting to get the Access Road down to about 5-6 % maximum grade for laden trucks to negotiate without damaging the pavement on the road (seal or asphalt surfacing) The grade of the hill will be steep and will direct water towards Lackey Road which is in poor condition and has no Line Marking or lane definition at present north of Lackey Park. Lackey Road has only 5.8m of pavement width directly south of the Entrance Driveway (10m wide) with 7m road width for about 100m north of the Access Road Entrance and then narrowing to less than 5.8m width again north of that location which is on the crest of the hill. Site Distance at present is about 115m north of the entrance in the 60km zone which is marginal if trucks are turning in and out as they will cross the middle of the road both ways. The Traffic Report did not include any Swept Path measurements for Lackey Road Access only the plant facility roads which is of concern. The overlayed Access Road construction in red on the aerial image Figure 4.2 Option 2a page 35 shows Batters and Retaining Walls over much of the Access Road full length of 900 metres this level of construction which does not define Cut or Fill Batters and shows at least 700 metres of Retaining Wall will take over 6 months to construct but that can't start until all of the Utilities at the end of Beaconsfield Road have been adjusted. There is a Power Pole on the SE side of the Intersection of Beaconsfield and Braddon Roads corridors that sits over one of the Retaining Wall structures this has to be relocated south or it will be undermined. The Overhead Power Lines running into Australian Bioresources land(Lot 10) will have to be raised as they will be impacted by construction plant being under 5.0m above ground level now. Possible additional Power Pole needed and relocation of the Stay Pole on Beaconsfield Road that lines up with the existing Overhead High Voltage wires(3 each). There is Fibre Optic Cables parallel to Beaconsfield Road pavement with a marker post next to Braddon Road access gate which will be in the path of the new road construction as this area is subject to being in cut. The Fibre Optic runs north south and leads into Australian Bioresources Facility buildings. There is also a Water Main running along Beaconsfield Road that crosses Braddon Road corridor and runs into Australian Bioresources. Non of these Utilities will be unaffected and will require Outages and disruptions to the Research Facility during Construction. There will need to be extensive Earthworks and Pavement works to build the road and timings in the EIS are totally unrealistic.
Further to this any Road Pavement design will require DGB20 Road Base and possibly DGS20 Sub Base as well as Bitumen Sealing and Asphalt Surfacing treatment over the whole 900m length of the Access Road which is not fully dealt with in terms of construction materials for the roadworks as well as Concrete Drainage Structures and Concrete Paving which will require large volumes of materials being brought in from Wollongong or Marulan (Gravel quarries) Asphalt from Wollongong or Sydney Batching plants and the haulage of heavy machinery from Contractors which will include Bulldozers, Scrapers, Excavators, Graders, Rollers, Water Tankers and haulage trucks(Rigid and possibly ones with Dog Trailers). None of this is accessible from Lackey Road as Prime Movers and Floats have no capacity to unload on the narrow pavement nor will Australian Bioresources have capability for this equipment to come in on their access. As stated in Section 4.3 first paragraph of the Tech Report 6 page 39 GHD have stated that "the road construction activity may partly use the existing road network of Beaconsfield and Lytton Roads" but given the restrictions and the steepness of the terrain at Lackey Road no road construction can commence at Lackey Road without completely closing access for Australian Bioresources operations. Beaconsfield Road as an access for road construction is inherently unsuitable even with Utility relocations completed as it has only 4.3m pavement width in the last 150m and then unsealed with no turnaround for Prime Movers and Floats and no capacity for unloading or reversing out of the road until Bulwer Road intersection 300 metres to the south. Any haulage contractor trying to access site will need at least 6m pavement width on Beaconsfield Road to get in and out past other heavy vehicles and as this is residential road access only and council opposes operational use by large trucks delivering plastic waste to the operational plant why would they allow heavy vehicles to come in and out for possibly five or six months to enable the Access Road Construction up to underside of sealing and paving works.
The road construction will have to bring the pavement vertical alignment down at least 2 or 3m below the existing turnaround at end of Beaconsfield Road to balance earthworks quantities and reduce potentially more haulage vehicles in and out of the site hence Retaining Wall shown on Figures for Options 2a and 2b.
The Option 2a incorrectly shows a fill area inside the Entrance at Lackey Road which will cut off vehicle access to Australian Bioresources facility during construction with a new access to Garvan's shown about 100 metres up the Braddon Access Road with no extension to the existing road this is unclear as the proponent should show the new alignment connection to Bioresources Road and provide staging to minimise access disruption.
Also there is a small sediment pond inside the current access arrangement just above the roadway that will be removed during construction and not noted on Figures 4.2 and 4.3 of the report.
Construction noise and vibration will impact the 6m high retaining wall at Australian Bioresources and the southern building as they are both within 30 metres of the road construction as measured off the scale on Figures 4.2 and 4.3 of the report and this may not have been brought to the attention of Garvan's Management.
In the event of a fire or incident Emergency Services access to the site via Braddon Road and its extension needs to have a vertical grade that can be easily negotiated by NSW Fire Brigade Fire and Rescue vehicles or by the Rural Fire Service that is why the vertical grade of the road shouldn't exceed 5% preferably & be constructed to a minimum standard of 3.5m lane widths with at least 1m wide shoulders and table drains with dissipator capacity to manage runoff and capture above Lackey Road
The natural fall of the land runs to the east and south and there is potential for rainfall runoff into the adjoining property on the southern side of Australian BioResources
The existing road condition on Lackey Road & Collins Road is substandard for the classification of these roads & with increased heavy vehicle traffic impending will deteriorate further. Without Section 94 Contribution on this development Council won't receive funding for upgrade of Lackey Road at this location and beyond.

As a professional Civil Engineer I have read the EIS with particular focus on Technical Report 6 -Traffic and Transport Issues and having extensive experience over the past 41 years in Road Construction and Maintenance and more recent detailed experience in working on REF's and other Environmental Assessments have noted that conceptually this project's Environmental Impact Statement lacks sufficient detail in relation to Road Design and Constructability on a site that is currently land locked and adjacent to a very Sensitive Receiver being Australian Bio Resources Research Facility(Garvan's) that has its access at Lackey Road. The other sensitive receivers being residential properties on Beaconsfield & Bulwer Roads. As I am also a nearby resident living exactly 1 km South of the Development location's Southern Boundary that abuts the Braddon Road Corridor. There are a number of issues of concern primarily in the long term operation of the PlasRefine Plastics Processing and Recycling Facility and in the short term specifically with the Access Road construction and with the Construction of the Site for the Processing Plant and its footprint on the 7.7 Hectare Portion of Land on the Western side of Australian Bio Resources Research Facility.
I have measured the details in Tech. Report 6 Figure 1.2 and note the following that the Building Areas for Buildings 1, 2, Site Office and the Wastewater Treatment Plant total an area of 3.4765 Hectares (34,765m2) which covers approximately 45% of the area of the subject parcel of land being developed. There are natural watercourses on the eastern and western side of the facility that will be adjacent to the road pavement that surrounds and cuts between buildings 1 and 2 and the other buildings
onsite.
I have taken account of location of dams on eastern side including a dam that sits over the development site and the adjacent Lot 10 DP1084421 This will be impacted during construction of the site as it will be changed to have a Bioretention Basin and Water Storage Basin installed on part of the dam area changing the flow paths of what is there with no defined limit of works showing how the dam can be removed from the adjoining land without draining it first. The eastern watercourse will have to be piped under the Braddon Road alignment not shown to allow flow to be maintained as per figure 1.2.
The earthworks scale for the development site is vastly larger than the footprint shown due to the amount of cut and fill required as there is level differences of about 15m from 668m ASL near creek channel NW Corner up to 683m ASL Southern Bdy with Braddon Road based on my measurements and interpolation from Topographic Maps NSW (E-Topo-Six Maps) The road levels at Lackey Road Entrance is approximately 658m ASL and the crest of the hill near the Pine Trees on Braddon Road Extension is 688m ASL 30m height difference with maximum grade of 14% on the hill this will require a substantially deep cutting to get the Access Road down to about 5-6 % maximum grade for laden trucks to negotiate without damaging the pavement on the road (seal or asphalt surfacing) The grade of the hill will be steep and will direct water towards Lackey Road which is in poor condition and has no Line Marking or lane definition at present north of Lackey Park. Lackey Road has only 5.8m of pavement width directly south of the Entrance Driveway (10m wide) with 7m road width for about 100m north of the Access Road Entrance and then narrowing to less than 5.8m width again north of that location which is on the crest of the hill. Site Distance at present is about 115m north of the entrance in the 60km zone which is marginal if trucks are turning in and out as they will cross the middle of the road both ways. The Traffic Report did not include any Swept Path measurements for Lackey Road Access only the plant facility roads which is of concern. The overlayed Access Road construction in red on the aerial image Figure 4.2 Option 2a page 35 shows Batters and Retaining Walls over much of the Access Road full length of 900 metres this level of construction which does not define Cut or Fill Batters and shows at least 700 metres of Retaining Wall will take over 6 months to construct but that can't start until all of the Utilities at the end of Beaconsfield Road have been adjusted. There is a Power Pole on the SE side of the Intersection of Beaconsfield and Braddon Roads corridors that sits over one of the Retaining Wall structures this has to be relocated south or it will be undermined. The Overhead Power Lines running into Australian Bioresources land(Lot 10) will have to be raised as they will be impacted by construction plant being under 5.0m above ground level now. Possible additional Power Pole needed and relocation of the Stay Pole on Beaconsfield Road that lines up with the existing Overhead High Voltage wires(3 each). There is Fibre Optic Cables parallel to Beaconsfield Road pavement with a marker post next to Braddon Road access gate which will be in the path of the new road construction as this area is subject to being in cut. The Fibre Optic runs north south and leads into Australian Bioresources Facility buildings. There is also a Water Main running along Beaconsfield Road that crosses Braddon Road corridor and runs into Australian Bioresources. Non of these Utilities will be unaffected and will require Outages and disruptions to the Research Facility during Construction. There will need to be extensive Earthworks and Pavement works to build the road and timings in the EIS are totally unrealistic.
Further to this any Road Pavement design will require DGB20 Road Base and possibly DGS20 Sub Base as well as Bitumen Sealing and Asphalt Surfacing treatment over the whole 900m length of the Access Road which is not fully dealt with in terms of construction materials for the roadworks as well as Concrete Drainage Structures and Concrete Paving which will require large volumes of materials being brought in from Wollongong or Marulan (Gravel quarries) Asphalt from Wollongong or Sydney Batching plants and the haulage of heavy machinery from Contractors which will include Bulldozers, Scrapers, Excavators, Graders, Rollers, Water Tankers and haulage trucks(Rigid and possibly ones with Dog Trailers). None of this is accessible from Lackey Road as Prime Movers and Floats have no capacity to unload on the narrow pavement nor will Australian Bioresources have capability for this equipment to come in on their access. As stated in Section 4.3 first paragraph of the Tech Report 6 page 39 GHD have stated that "the road construction activity may partly use the existing road network of Beaconsfield and Lytton Roads" but given the restrictions and the steepness of the terrain at Lackey Road no road construction can commence at Lackey Road without completely closing access for Australian Bioresources operations. Beaconsfield Road as an access for road construction is inherently unsuitable even with Utility relocations completed as it has only 4.3m pavement width in the last 150m and then unsealed with no turnaround for Prime Movers and Floats and no capacity for unloading or reversing out of the road until Bulwer Road intersection 300 metres to the south. Any haulage contractor trying to access site will need at least 6m pavement width on Beaconsfield Road to get in and out past other heavy vehicles and as this is residential road access only and council opposes operational use by large trucks delivering plastic waste to the operational plant why would they allow heavy vehicles to come in and out for possibly five or six months to enable the Access Road Construction up to underside of sealing and paving works.
The road construction will have to bring the pavement vertical alignment down at least 2 or 3m below the existing turnaround at end of Beaconsfield Road to balance earthworks quantities and reduce potentially more haulage vehicles in and out of the site hence Retaining Wall shown on Figures for Options 2a and 2b.
The Option 2a incorrectly shows a fill area inside the Entrance at Lackey Road which will cut off vehicle access to Australian Bioresources facility during construction with a new access to Garvan's shown about 100 metres up the Braddon Access Road with no extension to the existing road this is unclear as the proponent should show the new alignment connection to Bioresources Road and provide staging to minimise access disruption.
Also there is a small sediment pond inside the current access arrangement just above the roadway that will be removed during construction and not noted on Figures 4.2 and 4.3 of the report.
Construction noise and vibration will impact the 6m high retaining wall at Australian Bioresources and the southern building as they are both within 30 metres of the road construction as measured off the scale on Figures 4.2 and 4.3 of the report and this may not have been brought to the attention of Garvan's Management.
In the event of a fire or incident Emergency Services access to the site via Braddon Road and its extension needs to have a vertical grade that can be easily negotiated by NSW Fire Brigade Fire and Rescue vehicles or by the Rural Fire Service that is why the vertical grade of the road shouldn't exceed 5% preferably & be constructed to a minimum standard of 3.5m lane widths with at least 1m wide shoulders and table drains with dissipator capacity to manage runoff and capture above Lackey Road
The natural fall of the land runs to the east and south and there is potential for rainfall runoff into the adjoining property on the southern side of Australian BioResources at road bdy.
The existing road condition on Lackey Road and Collins Road is substandard for the classification of these roads & with increased heavy vehicle traffic impending will deteriorate further. Without Section 94 Contribution on this development Council won't receive funding for upgrade of Lackey Road at this location and beyond.

I raise my concerns as a resident in the Southern Highlands who believe an independent panel should be convened to consider the Plasrefine proposal.

I believe the site is unsuitable due to it's close proximity to the residential area within the boundaries of Beaconsfield, Lytton and Berrima Road. The roads in that area could not cope with any increase in traffic either large construction vehicles initially or personal vehicles of staff access the site for the 24X7 operation of the site. With all the industrial zone land in that corridor, it would make much more sense for traffic flow, noise pollution, air pollution etc. to locate a factory closer to the Hume highway where town traffic and residential area is not affected by the predicted large vehicle traffic to the site.

It is noted that the proposal does not address vehicle leaving from the site transporting products produced on site. More realistic information about staff vehicle, incoming heavy vehicle size and load and outgoing heavy vehicle traffic size and loads should be considered. The proposed haulage route might work in theory, it is likely that it will not be adhered to. With expected further increase on fuel prices truck drivers will seek to take the shortest and most direct route. Any increase in immediate residential area or traffic from the Illawarra Highway or Main Street of Moss Vale would cripple traffic during business hours and cause addition decay of what are already bad quality roads in the area.
More evidence is required for environmental impacts of this proposal starts with the high dependency of town water, the potential of contaminated water entering the town water supply. There is a extremely high potential for plastics micro-particles getting into the category 2 riparian area that borders the property that then feeds into rivers that flow to Warragamba Dam- this has the potential to impact not just local residents but Sydney's whole population. Not to mention the high potential for air pollution of micro-contaminants to the immediate local.
We are currently without a Local Government Elected council. This means that we do not have members of the local community considering the social, economical, environment, safety impact on the community and region. Without this representation we, the community of the Southern Highlands have not had the advantage of an active group of elected officials to survey and represent the community. It is an unacceptable time to consider such a controversial development that has an unacceptable risk to the health and wellbeing of the community.
The planned development is not situated on the right site.
Many thanks for your consideration.

Moss Vale plastics recycling facility, Project ID SSD- 9409987

I am objecting to this proposal due because of the following reasons
1. There has been no owners consent to purchase land from us for the proposed road which I find astounding considering how often 77 Beaconsfield rd has been mentioned in the EIS proposal
2.The access from Beaconsfield rd is not suitable for heavy vehicles which will be passing daycare centre and possibly a primary school which is extremely concerning and dangerous
3.The noise will be excessive 24/7 as the operations runs 24hours a day and 7 days per week
4.I am concerned about the size and scale of the project as i think this lacking in balance between the landscaped areas and the area of building
5. The air quality will be not be a clean due to the toxic residues and the toxins in the plastic dust which in windy weather is going to spread into our water catchment in the Wingecarribee River and also it will have a huge impact on any residential buildings near by which there are plenty of ,the toxic dust will spread into the water tanks on these nearby properties that residents will be drinking
6. The visual impact is going to be huge for everyone in the community, it will definitely not be very attractive for any resident living close by and the lighting which will be going all night will have a much bigger impact on peoples mental health and well being

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed PLASREFINE Plastic Waste Reprocessing Development proposed for Beaconsfield Road in Moss Vale.
The site on Beaconsfield Road is projected to receive 40 to 50 heavy vehicles a day.
The Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor has the Berrima Branch railway running through it. A facility handling bulk waste should be positioned on the railway line with a siding not up the end of a residential dead-end street on top of a hill. This is logical when you consider several of points.
Firstly, the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor is situated on the Sydney-Melbourne rail line which is joined by the Berrima Branch rail line which also runs through the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor.
Secondly, the Sydney-Melbourne (Main Southern Railway) line is currently being used to transport waste to the Woodlawn waste facility at Goulburn. The Woodlawn website states that it currently receives 40% of Sydney’s putrescible waste demonstrating the proximity of the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor to a high-capacity rail line. If that much waste can be organised so that it can be transported by rail then the same should be possible for the plastic waste.
Thirdly the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor is very close to the junction of the rail line from Wollongong and the main southern railway. This is relevant as it is proposed to bring plastic waste from Wollongong.
Fourthly, using rail will reduce the number of heavy vehicle movements not just in Moss Vale but also in Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra from the projected 40-50 per day.
When asked why they weren’t going to use rail their answers were:
• That “the plastic feedstock will come from a number of regions within NSW that are not all accessible by rail”. The same could be said of the waste being transferred to Woodlawn but they can manage it.
• That the feedstock would have to be transferred to semi-trailers to transport from the rail siding to the site. If they moved the application to a site adjacent to the existing Berrima branch rail-line this would not be an issue.
The applicants should be told that the site on Beaconsfield Road is completely inappropriate and that if the want to develop a facility in the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor they should move the proposed development to the area adjacent to the Berrima branch rail line and design the facility to handle rail deliveries. This would also remove the necessity for heavy vehicles coming from the M5 to enter Moss Vale as they could turn into Collins Road from Berrima Road therefore avoiding the early childhood learning centre and residential areas.
Regards

I strongly object to this project as submitted. There are significant gaps in the analysis and any benefits are far outweighed by the social and economic costs to the area.
I have submitted more detail in the attachment.

I object to this project based on the environmental damage that a process like this will have on our community.