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

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

The entire project is extremely detrimental to the local and wider environment.

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 do not support this project for the following reasons:
I am concerned about safety with hundreds of heavy haulage truck movements along residential streets which are not designed for these kinds of industrial truck movements. Already there are daily traffic jams along Argyle Street, Moss Vale without this kind of facility as the local infrastructure struggles to cope with the flow of vehicles. The areas in which these trucks will have to pass through have pre-schools and primary schools and I am concerned about the children's safety as they travel to and from school. Similarly there are many elderly people in the area and such trucks will pose a danger to them in the streets of Moss Vale.
Added to the safety issue will be the disturbance to residents because of constant heavy truck movements 24/7 and the associated noise with the operation of the facility
I am very concerned that Plasrefine has no track record of operating anything like the scope and scale of the proposed development. In fact the owner has a record of environmental breaches in China. I believe that this clearly indicates the applicant does not have the capacity to develop and run this kind of facility and is not the kind of person we would want in charge of such a facility.
The planned operations will also have significant environmental effects on the air and water quality in the area. It should be of great concern as well that the area is is within the Sydney drinking water catchment area.
The proposal is also inconsistent with the existing scenic rural landscape.
I am also concerned that even though Wingecarribee Shire Council and other community representatives have requested a Social Impact Assessment be prepared, the applicant has NOT undertaken this kind of assessment.
Although Plastic Recycling is a desirable process, developing such a facility in the midst of a residential area is definitely NOT an option. Therefore I am objecting to this project in the strongest possible terms and urge the Government to reject this proposal for Moss Vale completely.

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.

The location of the proposed plastics recycling complex will be hugely detrimental to the people who live in this and surrounding areas. my reasoning as follows:
(i) air contamination and quality will be assuredly worsened.Experience from the UK clearly shows that chemicals so emitted are harmful to humans and this comes with a strong warning: DO NOT BELIEVE ANY ASSURANCES TO THE CONTRARY as put out by local authorities/involved developers/regulators. Once the complex is operational and air samples are taken IT IS TOO LATE to prevent the emissions continuing.
(ii) the traffic in this area is already straining the road network - with a large number of new housing developments coming to fruition shortly. The road network was not designed to address the present volume of traffic, and the foreseen volume will result in huge congestion and economic damage. The proposed volume of traffic with waste plastics coming to the area will result in long bottlenecks and congestion with inadequate relief.

I am happy to devote some of my time and professional experience to further engage on these two major issues.

I am gravely concerned about the environmental, social and health implications of this project on our small town.

I am in staunch objection to this project going ahead at this site or anywhere near the township of Moss Vale. This proposed facility will leech toxic waste into the township and the fumes themselves will directly impact on my home (which is very close as the crow flies) and my health, as well as the homes and health of all Moss Vale, Buradoo & Bowral residences. I object to this facility being at the current site or anywhere near Moss Vale town - it will impact on the health of residents, our protected wildlife, and the SYDNEY WATER CATCHMENT and drinking water. It is being built mere metres away from residential homes. It should be re-located to another site far away Moss Vale, or any town for that matter and preferably not in the southern highlands at all - as with the proposed environment and health impacts of the facility plus the impact on road infrastructure with an increase in heavy vehicles - on our already overloaded and poor quality roads. This is an unacceptable proposal and I wholeheartedly object to this project proceeding.

I am strongly opposed to this development for a number of environmental, social and safety concerns. The proposed site has serious detrimental environmental issues specifically related to the amount of heavy vehicle traffic movements through residential streets, close to a child care centre and numerous schools and the centre of a small rural town. The existing roads, proposed to be used by the plastics recycling facility are not suitably paved nor wide enough to accommodate the large volume and size of heavy vehicles. There are no footpaths along these roads meaning residents and pedestrians have no alternative but to walk on the roadway which already poses significant risk of personal injury which will only be further increased if heavy vehicles are using these roads. Although there is mention of construction of a proposed access road there is no detail of this within the planning document and no costings provided. Additionally there is no current agreement with Local Council as to the required corridor road.
The proposal does not address multiple site unsuitability issues such as noise impacts, scale of the buildings on such a small site, there are no architectural drawings of the factory complex only a basic concept plan and no discussion regarding amenity of the area. There is a major discrepancy within the EIS - table 7.1 states"processed wastewater- about 10 kiloliters ( 10,000 liters) per year for disposal to sewer" however, Section 7.5.7 "Process wastes" states:" The balance effluent from wastewater treatment" up to 10 kiloliters per day, would need to be discharged to sewer". There is an enormous difference between 10 kiloliters per day and 10 kiloliters per year. The sewage system within Moss Vale is already overloaded and the riparian water way on this site flows directly into the Wingecarribee River eventually linking to the Sydney Water Catchment. In terms of air quality there are a number of concerns including odour from plastic waste, emissions from the 200 heavy vehicle movements per day, there are no modelled emissions from machinery specified in the document. I am very concerned regarding the potential release of toxins into the environment from the factory and from my understanding other factories built by this owner in overseas locations have sanctioned due to the release of toxic waste. The potential impact from toxins may not be known for years but may have direct negative and irreversible impacts on the health of residents of the Southern Highlands. The entire Highlands area is a well known tourist destination for its renowned rural beauty, clean environment, heritage and recreational activities - the impact on tourism that this factory could have has not been explored or discussed and yet has significant negative potential on future tourism and employment within the tourism industry. In summary I am strongly opposed to the building of this facility in this location so close to residential property , the local town area, a 24 hour per day operation and with disregard of these impacts for the residents of the Southern Highlands.