As a local resident living in very close proximity to the proposed Monaro Rock quarry in Royalla, I strongly object to this project. The proposal raises serious concerns that will directly and severely affect the physical and mental health, safety, lifestyle, and wellbeing of my family and many others in the community, along with financial security (home values will reduce significantly if this development goes ahead). I have listed my concerns in the attached PDF file. Thank you.

Please refer to the attached submission.

Richard Lindsay
59 Whisperer Place Royalla, NSW 260 23/09/2025
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Re: Objection to the Proposed Monaro Rock Quarry, Royalla
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a resident of Royalla, and I am writing to strongly object to the proposed Monaro Rock quarry. My family and I chose to live in Royalla because of its clean environment, peaceful rural lifestyle, and strong sense of community. This quarry threatens all of that, and I ask that NSW Planning reject the application on the following grounds.
Personal and Community Impacts
1.
Health and Dust Concerns As residents, we will be directly exposed to silica dust generated by blasting and crushing. Silica is known to cause serious long-term health conditions, including silicosis. Dust does not stay within quarry boundaries — it will travel to nearby homes like mine, coating surfaces, contaminating rainwater tanks, and posing risks to my children, neighbours, and animals.
2.
Noise, Blasting and Vibration Quarry blasting and crushing operations will shatter the peace of our community. Vibrations can cause property damage, including cracks in homes, while also distressing livestock, pets, and horses — animals many residents, including my family, rely on for our way of life. Constant industrial noise will rob Royalla of its quiet rural character.
3.
Operating Hours and Amenity Impacts The proposed quarry intends to operate six days per week, with product despatch from 5:00am to 6:00pm. This schedule means trucks and industrial activity will begin before dawn most mornings, creating unacceptable noise and disturbance for residents of the housing estate that directly borders the proposed site. Early morning truck movements, reversing alarms, and heavy machinery will disrupt sleep, family life, and wellbeing.
4.
Traffic and Safety Risks An estimated 200 fully-laden quarry trucks per day will travel along the Monaro Highway and Old Cooma Road. As a Royalla resident, I already see traffic risks in the area. The increase in heavy trucks will make our local roads more dangerous, particularly for families, cyclists, and school buses. The dust and diesel emissions from these trucks will also harm our air quality and road safety.
5.
Water Impacts on Local Residents Like many in Royalla, I rely on rainwater tanks and groundwater. The quarry proposes to extract groundwater, which risks lowering the water table and drying up existing bores. Stormwater and wastewater from the quarry will run into Tuggeranong Creek and
eventually into Lake Tuggeranong, degrading water quality and creating downstream pollution issues for residents and the broader community.
6.
Biodiversity and Habitat Loss The quarry would clear approximately 22 hectares of critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland, along with 78 hectares of vegetation. This land is home to hundreds of plant and animal species. As a resident, I value the biodiversity and natural beauty of this area — it is part of what makes Royalla special. The destruction of this habitat is both permanent and unnecessary.
7.
Amenity and Property Values I invested in Royalla because of its unique lifestyle and environment. If the quarry goes ahead, property values will drop, the peaceful amenity of our homes will be destroyed, and residents like myself will be left to live with the constant impacts of dust, noise, heavy traffic, and early morning disruption.
Conclusion
As someone who calls Royalla home, I urge NSW Planning to listen to the residents who will live with the consequences of this quarry every single day. The cumulative impacts — dust, noise, traffic, biodiversity loss, water risks, and reduced amenity — are too great.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that the proposed Monaro Rock quarry be refused.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Lindsay
Royalla Resident

The project is should not be approved for a number of reasons;
It is based in a high conservation value area of Box Gum Grassy Woodland
It will affect the amenity of local residents through excessive heavy vehicle movements
It will cause significant dust and noise pollution, particularly high silica dust
It will draw down on limited ground water resources which became unavailable to many residents during the last drought with bores running dry.
There should be sufficient aggregate resource in the existing local quarries already

I object to the Monaro Rock Quarry proposal (SSD-27223807).
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) leaves critical matters unresolved, pushing risks and costs onto government and local residents. This is inequitable and contrary to the precautionary principle under NSW planning law.
Road Safety: The Monaro Highway corridor where the quarry trucks will merge is already dangerous. Adding up to 200 trucks daily will increase accidents and fatalities. The government must fund an independent safety review and guarantee upgrades are state-funded, not charged to ratepayers.
Air Quality: The EIS admits PM2.5 exceedances and uncertainty in health risk values. Dust exposure will harm children, elderly, and vulnerable people. EPA-led monitoring and a NSW Health review are required before any approval is considered.
Noise & Blasting: The assessments are preliminary and rely on after-the-fact compensation. This breaches the precautionary principle. Independent peer reviews, a government-appointed ombudsman, and a regional cumulative impact study must come first.
Water: Excavation to 100m and a new bore risk groundwater drawdown and surface water disruption. Government-led baseline studies and enforceable suspension thresholds are needed. Approval must be paused until a regional water security plan is complete.
Biodiversity: The project will damage Box-Gum Woodland and Pale Pomaderris. Offsets are speculative and federal EPBC referral unresolved. Offsets must be secured locally and upfront before disturbance.
Economic Need: Two existing quarries already meet demand. Duplication is unjustified and fails the public interest test. Treasury and Infrastructure NSW must verify actual demand.
Climate Obligations: The quarry has not been tested against NSW’s net zero targets. Approving such a project risks undermining statutory climate law.
Requests:
Independent government reviews of road safety, health, water, biodiversity, and market need before determination.


Written guarantees that residents will not bear hidden costs for road upgrades, health impacts, or environmental losses.


Rejection of the project if offsets, safety, and market need cannot be demonstrated upfront.


This proposal creates long-term harm for short-term private benefit. I respectfully request the Department refuse the Monaro Rock Quarry proposal.
A detailed submission is attached.

Kind regards,
Matthew Bennett