Stone Ridge Quarry Project

How can we approve projects in a state forest when we know it contains koala population and are complaining about lack of koalas.
Also how does all these extra trucks get onto main highway to Queensland the intersection is already dangerous and Booral also proposing extensions and extra truck movements
I don’t necessarily disagree with approval but what about the environment, residents and traffic implications. I believe these concerns have not been met first

My major objections to the Stone Hill Quarry proposal result from the significant negative impact on both local residents and on wildlife. This will be exacerbated by the proximity to two existing quarries with expansion plans.
The nearest residents are very close (1km away) and will be highly affected by noise, dust, traffic and other considerations.
The operating hours appear excessive. With proposed hours of operation having trucks moving from 6am to 10pm 6 days per week (6am to 3pm Saturdays) and quarrying from 6am to 6pm (6am – 3pm) Saturdays.
Traffic
The wider community will be affected by traffic generated by the quarry, with peak traffic of 30 trucks / hour – a truck every two minutes! The roundabout at Raymond Terrace / Masonite Road is already difficult to navigate. Peak hour and holiday traffic already queues through Hexham and Heatherbrae and adding so many more trucks will make this even more hazardous and negative. Additionally there will be impacts on other users of Italia road, who are trying to access the Pacific Highway to head north.
The proposal to left turn only from Italia Road to Pacific Hwy involves a 22km detour via Tarean Road interchange for every truck leaving the site, which seems highly inefficient. The roadworks proposed to manage some of the traffic flow is dependent on all three quarries operating.
It is not clear whether the impact on Karuah residents using Tarean Road of the generated traffic has been considered properly. It does not appear that that community, along with the local council have been consulted.
Wildlife
Clearing 139 Hectares of State Forest is identified to cause significant impact to listed threatened species and ecological communities, including koala. This is clearly such an outrageous proposition that it is hard to find the words to respond. Koala and the other listed species are on the brink and need every chance to not be wiped out from one of the remaining areas where they are managing to thrive. Since the Brandy Hill Quarry expansion the koala hospital has noticed an increase in admissions from that area and this quarry would have the same result of killing and displacing koala and other threatened species. It is clear than there is no justification for pursuing this proposal.
Minimal benefit
On balance there is no benefit to the local community that would warrant the negative effects and destruction of habitat within the State forest. Only 10 full-time jobs are proposed to result from the quarry. The major benefits will accrue to the company operating the quarry in the form of profit.

Please do not allow this quarry to proceed

Whilst I understand the need for construction materials I object to it being sourced by the clearing and destruction of vital habitat for the survival of native plants and animals, particularly in light of the growing effects of climate change.
I do not live in the area but can imagine the impact of increased usage of heavy haulage vehicles on roads that were never designed to take the loading and frequency of movements.
I note with some alarm that the proponent claims the quarry activities are "unlikely" to effect koala habitat.

Thie is an appalling project. My detailed reasons for objecting are contained in the attached letter

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I consider that the project should not proceed as the Environmental and Biodiversity adverse impacts cannot be mitigated due to it being located in three crucial biodiversity corridors essential to allow for migration of endangered species due to climate change.

Please see attachment for full submission. We strongly oppose this proposal due to it's significant and irreversible impact on koalas.

To the Director, Resource Assessments, Jessie Evans,
EcoNetwork-Port Stephens is a grassroots community-based environmental and sustainability network comprising 27 community and environment groups and eco-businesses with a focus on sustainable planning. We are non-party political and do not donate to political parties.
We object to the Stone Ridge Quarry proposal SSD-10432, EPBC ID: 2022/09368, LOT: 1, DP 724372; LOT: 36 and 65, DP: 753200; LOT 540, DP: 1207159 on the grounds outlined in the attached document.

I object to the Stone Ridge Quarry project. Please see submission attachment.

To the Director Resource Assessments Jessie Evans.
I object to the proposal for the Stone Ridge Quarry Project for the following reasons:
- Increased truck movements in a rural residential area.
- Unacceptable roads for quarry trucks.
- Long hours of operation.
- Noise, dust from blasting, crushing.
- Loss of natural habitat.
- Quarry is too close to residential homes as there is 2 large hard rock quarries in the area.
Our grandchildren's safety outweighs these quarries in our area.
Regards

Linda Gill
155 Squires Road
Wootton
NSW 2423

To Director of Resource Assessment, Jessie Evans.
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Sydney NSW 2001

REF: APPLICATION NO: SSD-10432
PROPOSAL: Stone Ridge Quarry Project.

SUBMISSION OF OBJECTION STONE RIDGE QUARRY
Enough!
I strongly object to this obscenely large quarry proposed for the Stone Ridge Quarry Project (SSD-10432) for the obvious reasons.
We are living in the Anthropocene age, where global, national and state governments know, and yet are failing to act on climate change and extinctions that are occurring daily.

My reasons for objecting :
Our regional economies depend on, and value, our natural environment. The Wallaroo State Forest is public land that should not be quarried, but managed as a State Forest for everyone’s benefit, moreover the economic and environmental values of the Wallaroo State Forest to the region have been ignored in the report.

We face a biodiversity crisis and this proposal breeches an unacceptable level of risk that threatened species habitat, corridor and forage sites will be destroyed, including Koala, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Squirrel Glider, Tiger Quoll, Grey-headed Flying Fox and Powerful, Barking and Masked Owl were either observed or heard on the proposed Stone Ridge site or in the adjacent Wallaroo National Park.

The report for the quarry acknowledges the integrity of the site and it ecological values indicates that the forest on the proposed quarry site is in moderate to good condition (either intact or
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regenerating), with limited invasive weeds and confirmed presence of three threatened ecological communities, a threatened orchid species, and several species of threatened fauna.

I object to the assumption by the proponent that these values can be re-established, this is a fallacy. Once these ecological values are destroyed, it will take 40 (last logging records of site) to hundreds of years to re-establish the complex assemblage of flora and fauna habitat, particularly hollow bearing trees for hollow dependent species like bats, owls, gliders and large numbers of bird species.

The department should not be approving developments that remove large swaths of complex biodiversity for such proposal. We should be at a point where quarries and large developments should be sourced from already cleared land.
The reality is that habitat is disappearing daily and clearing, logging and climate change is accelerating habitat loss.
The use of offsets to accommodate State Significant developments is obscene and should be discontinued. The State, by using offsets is aiding and abetting the destruction of these disappearing habitats that act as refugia for wildlife, carbon capture and sinks, and importantly these areas are vital for water catchments.
Once cleared these areas act as accelerants to extinction, climate impacts and water catchment loss.

The proposal that the Wallaroo state forests become a large-scale quarry instead of sustainable managed forests is out of balance with the Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management (ESFM) principles that underpin the NSW Forest Management Framework, including the objective to ‘maintain or increase the full suite of forest values for present and future generations across the NSW native forest estate.

Moreover the Natural Resources Commission noted in 2022 “that NSW forests – whether they be in national parks, state forests, Aboriginal land, private land or Crown land – are under sustained threats, placing many of the services and values they provide at risk”

There is no doubt that areas of cultural importance to the Worimi people will be destroyed.

There was inadequate consultation regarding traffic impacts as the cumulative impacts from 3 quarry developments at Balickera will produce over 1,000 truck movements passing both the Buckets Way intersection with the Pacific Highway and Medowie Road intersection with the Pacific Highway. This is dangerous.
Cumulative impacts from the two proposed quarries at the southern end of Bucketts way, will likely generate 300+ heavy truck movements per day and should be factored into the impacts of the Stone Ridge Quarry proposal.
A proper cost benefit analysis should be produced that shows the contractual demands for Stone Ridge quarry materials that cannot be met by other operational quarries in our region

The impacts from noise and vibration (including trucks), blasting, air quality, surface water runoff, the groundwater table, will extend outside the development into other areas of Wallaroo State Forest which is completely unacceptable and completely understated in the their reports.

Thank you for considering these matters of great importance.

Linda Gill

Objection letter: Stone Ridge Quarry Project (SSD-10432)
To: The Director Resource Assessments, Jessie Evans

I object to the proposal for the Stone Ridge Quarry Project (SSD-10432) for the following reasons:

As a long term visitor to the area I am devastated to think that this is even being suggested to this beautiful part of NSW. I often go back to country and have my usual long walks to reacquaint myself with the land my family and ancestors have walked on. We regard this part of the world so unique with all its beauty and cultural heritage.

Not only will our walks be affected but the air we breath will no doubt be as well. I can't help but think we will all be asked to give our accounts in the future when we are interviewed by A Current Affair, then we get to play ourselves another "Erin Brockovich" (2000 film).
We would certainly not trust our own tank water for our own hydration and watering animals.
Surely with silicosis being so prevalent this should not be considered for Balickera. It would be a travesty.
The noise from rock blasting, smoke and fumes, production of noxious gases and ground vibrations would be intolerable.
I don't want to have Boral in my backyard and have to be subjected to the negative impacts it will have on the community, landscape and the wildlife full stop. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!

This proposed project is unnecessary in an area already invested with stone quarrying.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

OBJECTION TO BORAL SEAHAM QUARRY AND PROPOSED STONE RIDGE QUARRY ESTABLISHMENT

I wish to object to both Boral's Seaham Quarry expansion and the proposed Stone Ridge Quarry Establishment on Italia Road Seaham.

Being the partner of one of the family of the long term owners of Balickera (Balickera House Property), I believe that this proposal will cause unnecessary grief for all local residents with the impact of what the expansion/quarry will bring to this area. Not only will it create noise pollution, air pollution, vibrations from blasting, but also will have an adverse affect on all wildlife in the area causing stress, damage and possibly death. I also believe that this proposal if it goes ahead will cause health issues for the elderly, immune compromised and people in general who reside around the Italia Road area.

The excess traffic is already and will become much worse entering/exiting Italia Road and the Pacific Highway. The roads are being damaged by constant Quarry trucks travelling on it and will get worse and no doubt cause more damage to the resident's vehicles. Italia Road is not made to accommodate constant heavy haulage without definite impacts to the local residents.

Our children are descendants of the owners of Balickera and I would like them to be able to enjoy the idyllic and settled lifestyle this place has to offer at present, not be stuck in an area where industrial development ruins the sedate countryside.

Cattle farming/farming is a part of some of the resident's livelihoods, particularly the Kerr family in that area and they have lived in the area for generations, no one wants the disturbance of huge changes from development.

The Kerr family have run cattle on this property (Balickera) for many years, if this proposal goes ahead and the ridge is removed, I believe it will create a lot of unnecessary stress and possible respiratory issues for the cattle and that in turn will prevent income being generated to keep the farm producing due to excess dust, noise, vibration and any other environment impacts caused from the proposed and extended quarries.

Balickera House is heritage listed and when the quarry is blasting it causes the house to shake and vibrate which in turn will cause fatigue to the structure resulting in cracks which are possibly already occurring and this is only one property I can refer to, not to mention all the other residents and their properties.

This situation is a typical David and Goliath scenario, big companys don't seem to care about the little man that struggles to make a living. Maybe the developers need to actually see how the rural areas operate and the community spirit that is involved with the residents in these areas. Maybe you could put yourself in their shoes, if it was your family in this situation, then you could actually have some empathy for the people that this disastrous proposal is going to create for the residents of Balickera and surrounds.

The impact to both flora and fauna will be irreparable to this district if this proposal goes ahead.

Regards

Port Stephens Koala Hospital object in the strongest possible terms to the proposed greenfield 79-hectare Stone Ridge Quarry Project proposed for the Wallaroo State Forrest.
Abutting the Wallaroo National Park, it is difficult to imagine a project more destructive to virgin ecological habitat. It is vital to the survival of endangered and vulnerable wildlife resident in the proposed site, such as, but not confined to:
Koalas
Grey Headed flying fox
Swift Parrot
Spotted tailed quoll
Yellow Bellied glider
New Holland mouse
S.E. glossy black cockatoo
Powerful Owl
Brush Tailed Phascogale

During the Project staged clearing will occur for all vegetation including, but not confined to, native food and shelter trees:
Spotted gum
Red ironbark
Cabbage gum
White stringy bark
Smooth bark apple
Prickly leaf paperbark
Red mahogany
Brown stringy bark
Red bloodwood

This proposal, if approved in any form, will cause injury and death to displaced resident wildlife as a result of vehicle strike on Italia Rd Balickera, and the adjacent section of the Pacific Highway.

The Project, if approved in any form, poses an equally grave threat to critical connectivity between the Wallaroo State Forest and the Wallaroo National Park for wildlife.

I object to this quarry being developed in a state forest that is part of precious and essential wildlife corridor.
However, if the DPE does recommend approval, then there are many conditions that must be applied. See the attached document for the details

The amount of wildlife to be slaughtered in the process of ripping down their habit will be critical to their numbers after having lost so many with the last fires. Our world depends on our animals, no the $ I object to the project!

please accept this as an additional submission on behalf of VOWW.
please see attachment

please refer to attachment

The noise, vibration & dust impacts on my family & community will be massive
the roads are in very bad shape around the existing quarry, the trucks turning on the intersection of the Pacific Highway & Italia Road is already extremely dangerous. If this is approved the intersection will become a death trap
when the existing quarry does a blast we see & smell the dust & it shakes our home & we feel the vibration
If this quarry goes ahead we would be seeking compensation for ducted airconditioning, double glazed windows & doors, insulation etc
we live our lives around the existing quarry we get woken up at 5:30 went they start with the reversing beeper, gravel going into the bins, front end loader revving up & the scraping of the ground & every gear change of the trucks going up the pit. The same at the end of the day we can't go to bed till after 10pm for all the same reasons. This is only an 8 hour break, shift workers are entitled
to a 10hour break & we don't even get that in our own home.
if this mine is approved for 24 hours it will have a major effect on our health & quality of life, sleep deprivation etc.
we live here for the lifestyle that living in a rural area brings & we do not support any new quarries or any changes to the existing quarries conditions.
we live in this area for the native animals that also call this area home the Koalas, Kangaroos, possums etc. There is a large koala habitat area & this will affect the koala population in this area
surely the resident in these areas should be entitled to some quality of life or is it another case of money for big business is more important than peoples biggest investment in life their home, which property values will be affected