I am objecting to the Monaro Rock quarry.

I request that the Independent Planning Commissioner review the request

These are a summary of my objections:

There are already enough quarries in the local area and they are not at
capacity.

All existing quarries have capacity to meet the growing need.

There will be dust, noise and traffic impacts that will compound with the
two other quarries using the roads in the immediate vicinity.

The dust from quarrying is a known documented risk via silica. The
non-industrial risks from silica are under-studies but emerging as a genuine
risk.

The road intersection on Monaro will require a major speed reduction in the
overtaking section meaning there will be more risk in the single carriageway
section. Already I see the most appalling overtaking and dangerous driving
on this section of single carriageway. Reducing the speed limit in the
overtaking section (the only viable option) will, with certainty, cause
accident in the area where the overtaking lane ends. I have genuine concern
for my own safety travelling that highway every day already. The proposed
intersection makes it worse.

Mates Drive should not be used for heavy vehicles as it is unsuitable and
puts an unacceptable impact on residents.

Royalla will be impacted from a property value perspective.

I work in the heavy vehicle repair industry. The EIS does not cover enough
detail on the workshop on site and the fuel storage arrangements. The lack
of detail means there is a direct risk.

There will be a direct dust impact to the solar farm at Royalla damaging or
degrading Canberra power infrastructure.

I completely object the unnecessary quarry proposed.

The increased heavy vehicle traffic should not be allowed on ACT or NSW roads without major road works being undertaken beforehand. The increase in noise and dust should not be allowed in such a heavily populated area.

I would like to raise objections to the planned new Monaro Rock quarry in Royalla. I have read the Environment Impact Submission and am concerned by numerous aspects of the plan.
Operating up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, this quarry is estimated to extract up to 1,000,000 tonnes of rock annually from land that has been environmentally protected. In addition to this, Monaro Rock plan to crush up to 20,000 tonnes of concrete and produce up to 150,000 tonnes of asphalt on site. This level of industrial activity will completely transform the corridor between Royalla and Hume and have profound and lasting impacts on the residents in this area, those who use the Monaro Highway, and potentially anyone who lives within a 20kms radius of the site who may be subjected to negative health outcomes. I will be extremely disappointed if the NSW Government allows the profits of a private company to trump the lifestyle, health and land considerations of thousands of people. Following are my primary concerns:

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
• I am concerned at the destruction of Enchanted Hill, an existing area of 22.44 hectares of Box Gum grassy woodland which would be destroyed by this venture. There is less than 5% of this type of land left anywhere in world and it deserves to be protected. This quarry could be built elsewhere, or products sourced from elsewhere; we cannot recreate established Box Gum grassy woodland and such a thriving ecosystem.
• I also note from the EIS that an additional 77HA of land will be partially destroyed. This biodiversity should be protected.
• This area is next to the Melrose Reserve and a number of other reserves.
• I object that the proposed quarry would allow runoff into the Tuggeranong Creek
• My understanding is that this land has been identified as a C2 environmental conservation protection zone and as an RU2 rural landscape. I understood that to mean that this land had been protected from incompatible development. The specified purpose of a C2 zone is to “protect, manage and restore areas of high ecological, scientific, cultural or aesthetic values” and to “prevent development that could destroy, damage or otherwise have an adverse effect on those values.” How does a quarry meet any of these conservation objectives?

STATE SIGNIFICANT PROJECT
• This is being called a ‘State Significant Project’ due to the predicted capital it will raise. But the financial benefits of the quarry will primarily service private companies (2 families), not the public. And they will primarily serve the interests of the ACT, not NSW.
• I am disappointed that this quarry has been proposed to be placed within a country estate and especially on land that has already been protected.

ROAD/SAFETY IMPACT
• I am concerned about the number of additional trucks on the Monaro Highway. The addition of between 200 and 500 truck movements per day will have a negative ongoing impact on this section of the highway.
• It will require, in time, the need for substantial construction, which will significantly impact the ability of Royalla and regional residents to get to and from the ACT for work. And, prior to this work being undertaken, it will place up to 500 truck journeys on smaller country roads.
• Several hundred trucks journeys per day will take a toll on the highway. 240 fully laden trucks leaving the site each day and lead to significant bottlenecks at the roundabout near Calwell.
• I already travel a substantial amount of time each day to work at a hospital in the ACT. I am concerned about delays from the additional activity of trucks, the wear and tear to the road, and the delays for roadworks and changes. When I moved to rural NSW earlier this year, the one concern I had was my difficulty in getting to work if the Monaro Highway were every substantially slowed down or out of commission for periods of time.
• I am extremely concerned about the additional danger on the Monaro Highway of so many heavy-laden trucks crossing across the lanes and then needing to get up to speed, all which travelling up an incline in an area that is known to be dangerous in respect of traffic accidents. The existing trucks from the other quarries and logging trucks are already at speed on the highway, not trying to join and speed up near a crest. There have been accidents at that exact locations where trucks have cleaned up cars. This seems unnecessarily dangerous.
• The assessments of impact of trucks etc, that I have read seem to be based on just the activity for the rock extraction part of the quarry, not even including the asphalting and concreting components.

EXISTING QUARRIES and NEED
• The EIS Assessment of Economic Need is largely based on projected population growth in the ACT over the coming years. So why can’t Monao Rock construct a quarry away from this suburban area and then transport the products? It seems counter-intuitive to argue that, because of the increasing population in this area, that they should locate a quarry in the same area.
• There are four existing quarries within 30 kilometres of the proposed site.
• This quarry is not critical to supply. Nearby quarries have over 80 years life in them, more than enough to supply demand. Other quarries in the area do not seem to be operating at capacity, workers have recently been laid off. Annual reports indicate they are operating at 40% capacity.
• The EIS states “Because of geological, geographical, ecological, environmental amenity and land use constraints, other than the subject proposed quarry, there are no other known equivalent or realistically prospective ‘greenfield’ hard rock sites available to meet the projected demand for aggregates in the Canberra-Queanbeyan region of the demand catchment… If the Monaro Rock Quarry is not approved, then the shortfall in local supply of crushed aggregates to the ACT-Queanbeyan region from around 2030 onwards will increasingly need to be met by importing aggregates from more distant high capacity hard rock quarries such as those at Marulan in the NSW Southern Highlands, around 125-130km by road from Canberra and Queanbeyan. If aggregates were sourced from these more distant quarries, because of the cost of freight and distance by road the importation would, as a minimum, increase the delivered cost of the aggregate to Canberra and Queanbeyan region by around 40-45%. In addition, there are indirect costs to the broader community from ‘externalities’ such as greenhouse gas emissions from fuel burn, road safety and additional road wear and tear impacts, because of the additional heavy vehicle kilometres hauled.” This seems to be the perfect explanation as to why NOT to build a new quarry. There are existing quarries that could be used. Quarries impact all the externalities listed above. Similar hard rock exists in many locations between here and the coast. The assertion that increased transport costs would increase the cost of materials by 40-45% is laughable. It seems that the entire cost of the new quarry, and the resulting infrastructure, could be saved by utilising existing quarries. The EIS raises concerns about increased traffic and environment impact for an existing quarry, but not for the NSW/ACT region of building an entire new quarry? This does not make sense.

HEALTH IMPACTS
• 31,000 ACT and NSW residents live within five kilometres of the site. 92,000 residents live within ten kilometres. The nearest Royalla residents are only 1.6km away. ACT residents are only 2.6km away.
• Silica dust and noise can travel further than this in all directions. Royalla is an extremely windy place, which will exacerbate the transportation of silica dust. This dust will blow all over a region that is off town water. Meaning silica will be on the roof of my house, which will then be in my water tank, and then in my body.
• Silica dust can have devastating effects on a person’s health.
• There was not sufficient data provided in the EIS about the possible spread of silica given the high amount of wind in Royalla.
• Residents near the existing Williamsdale Quarry have consistently had issues with silica produced from that site.

IMPACTS ON ROYALLA
• I am concerned about the heavy usage the quarry would have on groundwater, which is a precious and needed supply for our rural community. It would also require profound amounts of electricity.
• We are a rural community. People ride horses and walk along the streets. My family and I paid a substantial amount of money to buy into Royalla recently because it is considered a desirable country lifestyle and to allow for medical conditions within my family. This proposed quarry would negatively affect our quality of life. The idea of the quarry is already causing me considerable stress.

CONCLUSION
I propose that the Monaro Rock project be located at a different site; one away from a rural estate and a location which would have such profound impacts on the ACT and this region of NSW. From reading the EIS, I do not believe that this project will be that financially lucrative for the NSW Government, given the amount of funding that will need to be expended in respect of water provision, electricity grid capability, and road construction, among other considerations. I hope that the money to be gained by two businesses will not trump the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of thousands. This proposal seems to provide for the profits of the few at the risk of the many. I do not think it is the right thing for the NSW Government to build a new quarry in an existing rural community and in close proximity to tens of thousands of ACT and NSW residents. We know enough as a society about the environment, health and social impacts of quarries to know that this is a harmful idea.

Thank you for your consideration of these objections and I hope that this quarry will not proceed.

My wife and I are residents of Royalla, NSW, and object to the proposed Monaro rock quarry project. My parents are also previous residents having moved to Royalla in 2000. My parents were drawn to Royalla for its proximity to family who reside close by in the ACT. In addition to this, the Royalla area also offered a quiet area free from issues which come from living in the suburbs e.g. traffic, noise, and access to nature. The area was precious not only to my parents but to myself to the extent that on my parents' passing, I purchased their property. The proposed quarry will destroy all the reasons which make Royalla the beautiful area that it currently is. Establishment and operation of the proposed quarry will negatively impact the environment (site is already zoned RU2 and C2 and contains critically endangered box-gum grassy woodland) e.g. clearing of endangered bushland and the resultant impact on wildlife, cause dust/silica dust which can lead to the development of lung cancer, silicosis, kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This will also impact residents of Tuggeranong and the surrounding areas. We and the other the residents of Royalla are also dependant on rainwater for our water supply which the dust/silica dust will also impact. The proposed quarry will also generate a huge volume of traffic on roads already unsafe, particularly during periods of increased traffic e.g. snow season. Noise and dust pollution during operations including blasting will also have a huge impact on not only Royalla residents but those in surrounding areas including suburbs within the ACT (approximately 49000 people live within 10 kilometres of the proposed site). In addition to the negative human and environmental impacts the economics of the proposed site, are also questionable given the existence of four quarries within 30kms with sufficient capacity to last 100 years.

Monaro Rail Trail Inc is a community organization that wishes to convert the disused 213 km long Monaro rail corridor from Queanbeyan to Bombala into a recreation facility, known as a rail trail, and which supports, walking, running and cycling activities for people of all ages and abilities. MRT Inc does not oppose the quarry proposal but does wish to comment on some aspects of its proposed development and its activities
The MRT project brings benefits to community health and gives rise to a new form of tourism which will help boost economic activity in the bypassed villages and towns along the rail corridor. The project has widespread support from, individuals, business operators, resident associations, and importantly the two key stakeholders – Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and Snowy Monaro Regional Councils who have funded feasibility studies. The NSW Government has funded the supporting business case and the project is now shovel ready.
One of the most used segments on the trail will be the section Queanbeyan to Michelago, it is anticipated that each year over 100,000 people will make use of the trail between those two points. Although the actual quarry will not be visible to users of the rail trail, the proposed quarry access road and the suggested daily 500 vehicle movements, will be close to the rail corridor for approximately 800m as the road approaches the Monaro highway. Consequently, MRT Inc feels it is appropriate to comment on the proposal to establish the Monaro Rock Quarry on land bordering the rail corridor.
Dust suppression: During the dry summer months, December to April, when dust suppression may be most difficult, the prevailing wind direction is easterly and users of the rail trail could be subject to poor air quality. If the access road is unsealed then trail users will certainly be subject to dust as trucks travel parallel and close to the rail corridor. We do note that the EIS statement reports that there will be no discernible changes to the air quality. However, an assurance that the access road is to be sealed along that section close to the rail corridor would alleviate concerns from MRT Inc.
Noise suppression: The EIS reports that 500 heavy trucks will be entering/leaving the quarry per day (page 35). These will all travel along the access road and in proximity to users of the rail trail and although the trucks will be travelling slowly, there will still be the noise linked with general movement, and particularly acceleration and braking. This will certainly intrude into the space of trail users. However, we believe that increasing the distance between the access road and the rail corridor plus screening with vegetation would help to alleviate this issue. An alternative option is to consider the proposed fence on the east side of the access road, could it be built on the west side of the access road for that 800metre section where it is parallel to the rail corridor? Tree and shrub planting on both sides of the access road will also help buffer noise.
Visual abatement: Our comments here mirror those on noise suppression. Users of the trail, in an otherwise rural setting, do not wish to feel they are walking/running/cycling alongside heavy trucks. The EIS reports up to 500 heavy vehicle movements per day, which means for an 8-hour day there will be a truck on the road every minute. Installation of a fence on the west side of the access road would reduce rail trail user’s views of truck movements. Furthermore, dense planting of appropriate plant species would enhance visual screening of, not only vehicles but also the proposed 3m high fence.
Traffic movement: MRT Inc is pleased that the proposal has planned for the access road to include a bridge over the rail corridor. This immediately removes all risks to trail users as vehicles will be separated from trail users. We note that the planners are sensitive to routing quarry traffic through local roads and have instead wisely chosen to use the Monaro Highway. However, we do have a general concern about the number of slow-moving trucks that will enter the Monaro Highway and pose a potential risk to fast moving highway traffic. We urge that the intersection of the quarry access road and the Monaro Highway be planned carefully.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposal.
Andrew Carter
Secretary MRT Inc

My family and I live in Tuggeranong and we strongly object to the proposed new quarry to be operated in Royalla. The activity at the proposed quarry will adversely affect 1000s of residents and have a significant detrimental environmental impact in the area. Both the flora and fauna in the area will be negatively affected by noise, dust, the huge number of vehicles passing through hourly. There is a huge risk of silica dust being transferred in the atmosphere, to people. The health of residents needs to be of major concern. There are schools in the area and there is a huge risk that the health, well-being and education of our children will be impacted by the changes and disruption that will inevitably become evident . This is the wrong place to establish an environmentally harmful, destructive and divisive development.

Protect the environment

My household opposes the proposed new Quarry
For many reasons:
1/The impacts of silica dust on respiratory health has been well documented. We do not need the potential impact of this in the air and also falling on our roofs leading to containment of our drinking water as we all rely on tank water in the area.
2/ the impact to the ground water, the quarry will access ground water limiting the water in the water table that is relied on my many in the area for more sustainable
3/ the quarry process uses water and thus produces waste water. This can contaminate ground water and is also expected to run off into the local Tuggeranong creek
4/ Traffic, the exisiting roads will not tolerate the extra heavy vehicles traffic. The Monaro hwy is not designed to tolerate the extra traffic the Quarry will create. Heading into Canberra (north) the road is only one lane, there are also concerns about the safety of a slow heavy fully laden truck leaving the quarry crossing the highway with vehicles traveling at 100km/hr
In snow season the turn from old Cooma road onto the hwy at intersection with good visibility can be challenging we do not need extra truck traffic on this road and the location that the proposed quarry will be accessing the highway will only make traffic conditions dangerous and likely force unsafe overtaking of slow trucks
The alternate route for the trucks to travel down old Cooma road and the road between fernleigh park and wellsvale drive is narrow, with no shoulder and potholed and will not stand up to the extra traffic movements especially wide and heavy loads. When residents have requested this road look at being widened we have been told by QPRC that the corridor contains protected trees and thus can’t be widened

5/ local septic systems and brownouts
The extra draw on the electrical infrastructure may cause brownouts that affect many electrical appliances but importantly the pumps of the septic system we rely on. Why should we be forced to pay for replacement pumps and other electrical items affected by these potential brownouts.
6/ impact on local flora and fauna,
The impact to ecosystems may have far ranging and irreversible impacts
Ultimately we moved our family out of town for a more peaceful, Clean lifestyle not to hear blasting and trucks thundering by 6 days per week and be concerned about impacts to our health.
Don’t let this quarry go head to line the pockets of the owners at the detriment of the greater community it

I oppose the project because of concerns about water usage, road safety, dust pollution and noise pollution