Rocky Hill Coal Mine

I have worked in the Gloucester Region for projects related to both Gloucester Coal and Gloucester Resources. I appreciate the contribution to employment and the local economy that results from these projects.

I think it is important that the sites are operated with a minimum of disturbance to the environment and the local people. This project appears to have the right balance.

The attention to controls for dust, noise and visual impact should allow the project to develop without an annoying intrusion into the daily lives of local people.

The water studies, air pollution modelling and plans for rehabilitation to a similar state as currently exists, means there should be no long lasting environmental impacts. And the short term effects will be within acceptable limits.

Mining and coal exports are a vital component to the economy and I am pleased to see developments that seek to do this in an environmentally responsible manner with positive contributions to the communities in which they operate.

This project is worthy of public support.

We are a Mine Services company and along with many others we have suffered from the damage caused by the economic downturn over the last 12 months and have seen what harm it does to the local community. We have seen the drop in growth and employment which has created financial difficulties for the locally bred and born trades people, local workers in most industries and local shops.

We think this project will give a boost to local businesses and citizens.

We have worked alongside and with the principals developing this project and from our knowledge of it we believe it is going to be community supportive and environmentally friendly

Dear Sir/Madam,

Objection

I wish to object to the Rocky Hill Mine proposed for the Gloucester Basin , the Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project - Application No. SSD-5156

First and foremost is the environmental impacts that would occur are unacceptable, as are the impacts on the health of residents in the Gloucester Valley.

Secondly, the EIS provided is flawed in the following areas

1.Visibility barriers will not be possible to construct given the present design criteria and the conceptual final landform design is impossible to complete due to substantial material shortage.


2. The financial viability of the project is questionable, and the impact of failure or long term closure has not been considered in respect of the effect on the future of Gloucester's sustainability.

3. The negative impacts on the local, State and National economies have not been properly considered, namely

a) The economic loss from the impact on tourism, agriculture and other industries
b) The economic cost of damage to local roads which will have to be paid for by the community.
c) The economic cost of damage to regional roads which will have to be paid for by the State.
d) The economic cost of health impacts on the community.

4. The mine will create a visual eyesore in the Avon Valley being partially constructed on the flood plain of the Avon River , therefore, dramatically changing the visual amenity of the Gloucester Valley. The planned rehabilitation will be impossible to achieve with the stated plans, due to lack of overburden available.

5. The proposed mine's close proximity to residential areas and the town has not been properly assessed and is understated. The project will result in a loss of the unique character of Gloucester and the loss of the clean, green image which symbolizes the area, to the detriment of
a) tourism
b) housing prices
c) peoples health and well being
d) the possibility of sustainable production high value Clean Green Food

6. Lack of consultation with the local aboriginal community elders, resulting in a flawed study of the impact on relevant Aboriginal Sacred sites and Artifacts.

7. Lack of a comprehensive response to specific Director Generals Requirements, in particular the cumulative impacts of AGL who are drilling and fracking coal seam gas wells on one side of the Avon River less than 500m from where GRL intend to be blasting 190m below the level of the river and the cumulative impacts of the Yancoal owned Stratford and Duralie mines. The cumulative impacts have not been properly assessed.
To allow this mine to go ahead is neither within the spirit , or the letter of the law of The Precautionary Principle.

In closing it is only fair to note
1) GRL's own community survey showed 80.7% do not want the mine
2) Gloucester Shire Council have unanimously resolved to oppose the mine
3) GRL do not have a Social License to mine in the Gloucester Shire
4) The mine is in Zone E3, scenic protection zone, of the LEP
5) GRL abused the terms of their exploration licences by acquiring properties for agriculture and forestry
6) The mine will only benefit GRL and its shareholders. There is only a cumulative negative impact on the local community and the legacy of long lasting health problems and the associated costs to government will expend all royalties acheived and much more.

I urge that you reject this proposal in its entirety.

Yours Sincerely,
Bruce O'Connor

I support it! Rocky Hill will bring a much needed industry to the area that myself and all my family have grown up in. Without this coal mine Gloucester will become a retiree village with no prospects for myself or my family. I dream that my children will be able to stay in the area as I have but if it's full of nimby retirees then that won't happen. Without this there will be no diversity in the residents of the town. This town will die along with its ageing population without this.

I have lived in Gloucester all my life ,I've watch the decline of the dairy & timber industries and the ups and downs of this town,so I care about my town and community.I've watched the majority of young people having to leave the area due to the lack of jobs,I myself worked away from Gloucester and my young family for years .I think employment is a major issue .After looking at the land to be affected by this mine,I after studying agriculture for 4yrs would not hesitate in giving my support for this mine as the agricultural value of land is very questionable in its economical viability ,I have also been involved in the mining industry in this area and have seen first hand what's involved so I'm not judging this on an emotional level but buy sound firsthand experience . I an not involved in either industry now I am just a family man thinking of the future of my beloved town and the families in it.

I believe NSW needs to encourage new developments like this to continue to stimulate our State economy.

I see the mine offering increased employment for Gloucester residents at a time when many rural communities are facing high levels of unemployment with few new work opportunities becoming available.

I consider GRL's commitment to employ local people with a target of 75% of those working at the mine being locals is very positive as a means of retaining local people as well as attracting new people and families.

The project also has obvious benefits to existing and new businesses which will result from services required by the mine which will see more money in the town as well as increased revenue for the local council to improve local facilities and services

Dear Sir/Madam,

Objection

I object to the Rocky Hill Mine proposed for the Gloucester Basin , the Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project - Application No. SSD-5156

Firstly, the environmental impacts that would occur are unacceptable, as are the impacts on the health of residents in the Gloucester Valley.

Secondly, the EIS provided is flawed in the following areas

1.Visibility barriers will not be possible to construct given the present design criteria and the conceptual final landform design is impossible to complete due to substantial material shortage.

2. The financial viability of the project is questionable, and the impact of failure or long term closure has not been considered in respect of the effect on the future of Gloucester's sustainability.

3. The negative impacts on the local, State and National economies have not been properly considered, namely

The economic loss from the impact on tourism, agriculture and other industries, damage to local roads which will have to be paid for by the community, damage to regional roads which will have to be paid for by the State and the economic cost of health impacts on the community.

4. The mine will dramatically change the visual amenity of the Gloucester Valley and create a visual eyesore, being partially constructed on the flood plain of the Avon River on the designated Tourist Drive

5. The planned rehabilitation will be impossible to achieve with the stated plans, due to lack of overburden available.

6. The proposed mine's close proximity to residential areas and the town has not been properly assessed and is understated. The project will result in a loss of the unique character of Gloucester and the loss of the clean, green image which symbolizes the area, to the detriment of
a) tourism
b) housing prices
c) peoples health and well being
d) the possibility of sustainable production high value Clean Green Food

7. Lack of consultation with the local aboriginal community elders, resulting in a flawed study of the impact on relevant Aboriginal Sacred sites and Artifacts.

8. Lack of a comprehensive response to specific Director Generals Requirements, in particular the cumulative impacts of AGL who are drilling and fracking coal seam gas wells on one side of the Avon River less than 500m from where GRL intend to be blasting 190m below the level of the river and the cumulative impacts of the Yancoal owned Stratford and Duralie mines. The cumulative impacts have not been properly assessed.

To allow this mine to go ahead is neither within the spirit , or the letter of the law of The Precautionary Principle.


GRL's own community survey showed 80.7% do not want the mine, also Gloucester Shire Council have unanimously resolved to oppose the mine, therefore GRL do not have a Social License to mine in the Gloucester Shire in Zone E3, a scenic protection zone, of the LEP

GRL abused the terms of their exploration licences by acquiring properties for agriculture and forestry

The mine will only benefit GRL and its shareholders, with only a cumulative negative impact on the local community and the legacy of long lasting health problems and the associated costs to government which will expend all royalties acheived and much more.

I urge that you reject this proposal in its entirety.

Yours Sincerely

Dear Sir,

I strongly oppose the Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project.

My reasons for opposing the Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project are valid and legitimate and deserve to be considered. I am an 18 year old girl living in the Forbesdale Estate and I love everything about living in this beautiful township. I moved here with my mother about 4 years ago - purely because we had been visiting Gloucester for many years and we could really see ourselves living in a place where there are green paddocks galore, farms, horses and the Bucketts at our doorstep. When we moved here, we settled into our current home in Forbesdale and fell in love with the view and the people in this Estate - the thought of the coal mine being literally less than 1km from some of my neighbours homes, and less than 2km kilometres from mine is heart-wrenching and mind-boggling. They don't deserve it, and neither does my mum or myself.

I for one know that many people move here for the quiet, peaceful comfort of a small town, fresh air and green rolling hills - I know because I am one of those people. And so are my neighbours and to see their homes, and my own home, de-valued or unable to be sold at all, is unfair.

Families, like my own, will experience unacceptable levels of noise, dust, and traffic - both contributing to poor health and a poor lifestyle. We have already lost our peaceful, rural lifestyle with this threat.

I for one could not stand to see this coal mine go ahead, and nor should I have to. This is my home and where my family and I have chosen to live. Just because there may be a bit of coal under the ground at the foot of the mountains I live close to, does not mean that it 'needs' to be mined. Not this close to a township and peoples houses. If it were your house, you wouldn't like it either. Maybe you and the executives of this Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project should look at this from a local's perspective. After all, the benefits that you will reap from this coal mine will not be forever, and when it is gone - although you tell us it will be almost the same - we know it wont be the same as it once was. As it is now.

Please don't let this coal mine go ahead. I am a young advocate in this town showing that it is not purely adults or elderly that are opposing the mine.

Yours sincerely,
Caitlin Wardrop
New South Wales 2422, Australia

I support the Rocky Hill project, we as a community need jobs for our locals to keep growing as a community. Our district needs this kind of project so we can remain a viable district to grow and prosper we just don't want to become a retirement village. Get it started and give our locals jobs

I full support the Gloucester Shire Councils submission and Gloucester Residents In Partnership (GRIP) submission on the Rocky Hill coal mine.
This coal mine should not be allowed under any circumstances.

I support the rocky hill coal project. The town needs more employment opportunities. My husband and I have two toddlers and he has to work away from home. He is gone for a fortnight at a time. If we had another coal project in the Gloucester valley it would hopefully mean that he could come home and be with his family, instead of having to travel away and live in another town (and ultimately financially support another town) instead of being with us. This is the same for other families too.
We were both born in Gloucester and we have watched the various industries grow and decline in strength. If it hadn't been for Stratford mine followed by Duralie, this town would have become a ghost town. Some people are opposed to the project, obviously those people do not realise the impact that job creation has for all businesses. People who oppose the mine obviously have no sense of the domino effect on wealth creation.
Thank you to GRL for giving us the hope of having my family back together again on a permanent basis.

I support coal mining in the Gloucester Valley - it is done responsibly, creates jobs and opportunities for locals and provides local businesses with to share in the wealth that coal crfeates

Please do not publish my personal details when you publish my submission
I support the Rocky Hill Mine project as I believe it will bring new business, funds needed and people to our town. I also have a husband who is extremely keen to work there as it would mean he is closer to home and fulfilling a life long dream of working in the industry. We chose to move to Gloucester from our respective home towns as we could see there was a future for us and our children. I believe this project will help Gloucester grow as a town and community.

I oppose the Rocky Hill Coal Mine Project.

I grew up in Gloucester and my close family still live in Gloucester.

Proximity - The mine boundary will be situated 900metres from Forbesdale Residential Estate of 35 families. Those families will experience unacceptable levels of noise, dust, and traffic. They have already lost their peaceful, rural lifestyle with this threat. Many have chosen not to improve their homes because they no longer have any value.

No one wants to live next door to an open-cut coal mine. The only way they can sell their homes is to the mining company, GRL and they don't want them.

Noise - It is a known fact that noise is the number one complaint from residents who live near coal mines. There is the noise of the mine workings. There is the noise of the loading trains. But the most destructive noise for humans is 'infrasound'. Infrasound causes sleep disturbances and can lead to major health complaints. The Rocky Hill mine will cause high levels of noise for residents close to the mine but also unacceptable levels of noise for residents in Gloucester town.

No amount of monitoring or measuring will stop the noise impact for the residents of Gloucester.

Health - negative health impacts, which can result in serious illnesses, from the dust from open cut coal mines are well known. Most of Gloucester township (including the hospital and schools) falls within the acknowledged 5km health impact zone of the Rocky Hill mine - thus placing a large proportion of the population at risk. Those most affected by the health impacts are our children, the old and the sick. Are the people of Gloucester just collateral damage?

Impact on Tourism - Visitors come to Gloucester to experience the peaceful, country lifestyle.
An open cut coal mine within 5km of Gloucester and within sight of the Bucketts Way will have a major adverse impact on the visual amenity of the area. Tourism is currently worth over $30M to the Gloucester economy. It will be impacted with a resultant loss of jobs and income generated in the township.

Employment - Companies in town are already experiencing the negative impacts of having a mine nearby. One company lost 11 apprentices to the Stratford mine, down the valley. Mining is good for employment if you want to work in a mine. It is not good for people who want to work in other industries in a mining town.

Water - The location of the proposed Rocky Hill mine is on the Avon River floodplain, and in the water catchment area of the Manning River which supplies drinking water to over 80,000 people. The Avon River has flooded 5 times in 4 years, with 2 floods occurring in February this year. There is real potential for contamination of the water in the catchment.

Cumulative Impacts - If approved, the Rocky Hill coal mine won't be operating in isolation in the Gloucester Valley. Yancoal has requested expansion of its mine at Stratford and AGL is planning on 330 CSG wells in the Valley - many of AGL's wells are to be placed within the Rocky Hill mine and the Stratford mine area. No other area in NSW has coal and CSG companies fighting over the same piece of land. To not consider the cumulative impacts of this mining is reckless and irresponsible.

I have not made a reportable political donation.

I oppose the development of Rocky Hill Mine .

As a General Practitioner to the Gloucester for the last 27 years I fear the impact that this mine will have on the community of Gloucester. I believe that the proximity of this mine to town and the enclosed nature of the Gloucester Valley will lead to increased health risks in this community.
There is a growing awareness of the local dangers of coal mining through fine dust disease particularly with PM 2.5 particles generated through mining and through the heavy use of diesel in the mine workings. Our enclosed valley will accentuate this effect , an effect I have previously seen with the use of old style wood heaters.

The mental health effects of this industry are also of great significance. The industrialization of this valley where previously there had been rural solitude has lead people to depression . This has been further exacerbated with a sense of helplessness and financial hardship for some people unlucky enough to be living in close proximity to this mine.

Provision of healthcare will be strained as Gloucester is seen as a mining town and no longer a sought out location in which medical professionals can raise a family. Attracting doctors to this town has been difficult enough in the past and all of those who have stayed have enjoyed time spent in the pleasures of small farms surrounded by nature rather than in a mining town potentially at risk of deteriorating air and water quality.

I believe that the proposed development will be detrimental to the health of this community and I oppose this development wholeheartedly.

My objection is not specific to Rocky Hill - NO MINE of any description should ever be located within such proximity of any town, village or community.
Specifically for Gloucester,
The wellbeing and health of the people within this thriving community is at stake.
Economic detrimental effects include local, state and national impact.
Gloucester supports a thriving business and large turnover tourism economy which will falter and collapse should this mine be approved.
I can only see ongoing negative impact on this community, with noise, light and dust pollution creating major health issues.
The Gloucester Valley already supports the mining industry at Stroud and the Duralie mine.
The community of Gloucester deserve to be protected from this adversity and thereby supported with a New South Wales Government rejection of this proposal.
Lesley Masters

This mine is way too close to the town of Gloucester and it therefore will have severe negative impacts on the health and well being of the townships inhabitants
The mine will also destroy the scenic beauty and put at unnecessary risk the groundwater and river systems that supply drinking water to many thousands of people downstream.

Gloucester needs more jobs for the young people to stay within the Gloucester region. We need established businesses, as the population of Gloucester is becoming a
retirement area. Tourism does not keep the Gloucester region
going.

I object to the proposal on the following grounds:
1. The mine is too close to residential areas.
2. It will have adverse impacts on the health of residents.
3. That these health impacts will result in a negative impact on the state economy through the need for increase government spending on health treatment and health infrastructure.
4. The mine will have a negative impact on the local economy, through the decline in the tourist industry and consequent loss of jobs.
5. The mine does not contribute to the development of a long term sustainable economic future for the Gloucester area, but instead creates a boom and bust economic cycle. We are seeing this currently with mining workforce lay-offs.

I therefore ask that the proposal be rejected in its entirety.

I am writing to strongly oppose the Rocky Hill Coal Project. I base my opposition on the following grounds:
* it is too close to housing and the town of Gloucester.
* its proximity to the town of Gloucester means that, if approved, the noise and emissions of its operations will have a negative effect on schools, preschools, the hospital and the general population.
* much of Gloucester's economy, and therefore the fabric of its social structure, relies on tourism and agriculture. The mine would have a negative effect on both tourism and agriculture.
* mining is a short-term venture. It does not provide long-term employment or build enduring social structures within a community. We are currently seeing large-scale lay-offs in the nearby Stratford mine, demonstrating clearly how uncertain employment is in the mining industry.
* Gloucester is ideally situated as an agricultural area relatively close to the Sydney market. Development of this relationship is already underway within the Gloucester community. The polluting impacts of mining would have a negative effect on this developing venture.
* the community of Gloucester spoke loud and clear when it elected a new council last year. All but one of the current councillors stand against the establishment of the Rocky Hill mine. Please listen to the democratically elected voice of the people of Gloucester in its opposition to a mine which would bring so much damage to this community.
Yours sincerely,
Kathy Prokhovnik