I have recently heard about a quarry which is proposed to be built 4km from my house! I am absolutely upset that this is being proposed so close to my home. I use the Monaro Highway every day, to commute to work into Woden and my son drives into Campbell every week day. The highway is currently difficult to navigate with all the road works from Johnstone Drive round about up to past the ACT jail. The thought of an additional 500 trucks a day adding to the traffic is unthinkable and makes me nervous to drive on the road. What safety precautions and road design will be put in place to reduce the risk of accidents? Also is the concern of the dust in the air, I am a nurse and have nursed patients with respiratory diseases, some of which are living with chronic respiratory diseases and thus near our home is of great concern. This is not a project that needs to be anywhere near people. The environmental impact, critically endangered woodlands and impact on our wildlife is the major reason this should not be developed in this area .

To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to formally object to the proposed Royalla Quarry project by Monaro Rock, due to serious concerns regarding public health, environmental degradation, and community impact.
The generation of silica dust from quarry operations presents a significant health hazard. Exposure to respirable crystalline silica is known to cause serious lung diseases, including silicosis, and poses a long-term risk to both workers and nearby residents.
Furthermore, the expected increase in heavy vehicle traffic and noise will disrupt the peaceful rural character of Royalla. The volume and frequency of truck movements will contribute to road wear, noise pollution, and reduced safety for local residents.
Lastly, the project threatens environmental destruction, including the loss of native vegetation, disturbance of wildlife habitats, and potential contamination of soil and water systems. These impacts are deeply concerning and incompatible with the values of our community and the surrounding natural landscape.
I respectfully urge the relevant authorities to reject this proposal and to prioritise the health, safety, and environmental integrity of Royalla.
Bob Barnes

As a resident of Royalla who lives locally and travels on Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway along the proposed route of trucks from the proposed Monaro Quarry I object to the increased number of heavy vehicles and the placement of the access road as they pose a significant risk to safety of human and animal life on these roads. The data provided which suggests that the increase in trucks on both the Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway is acceptable and that queuing on these roads can be done safely is unlikely. The data provided is based on the average number of vehicles annually when local residents know well that winter and summer peaks of traffic going to the snowy mountains increases the risks of accidents and poses increased threat to death of wildlife. The increased number of heavy vehicles and placement of the access road onto the Monaro Highway increases the risk that vehicles may be involved in an accident with wildlife or other motorists who frequently endanger other motorists when frustrated at delays in the traffic. The risk of head on collision will increase if 100’s of trucks are entering both Old Cooma Road and the Monaro Highway, I gave narrowly missed being hit by impatient motorists many times and replaced the windscreen on my cars multiple times following breakage behind quarry trucks over the past 15 years. Implementing traffic lights at the intersections is one way to reduce this risk if the proposal goes ahead. In addition to vehicle safety issues the presence of silica dust arising from the quarry operations is of serious health concern to local residents with current evidence available that confirms silica is a carcinogenic substance. Should the quarry be approved the NSW Government and the Monaro Quarry will be subject to compensation claims for silica ingestion.

To whom it may concern,
RE: OBJECTION TO MONARO ROCK QUARRY PROPOSAL
I’m writing to express my objection to the Monaro rock quarry proposal. I would like to raise the following concerns.
My first concern is the potential for a decision being made to allow a quarry and industrial estate on RU2 and C2 zoned land that contains critically endangered box gum grassy Woodland. The surrounding area is a rural residential area zoned E4 and E2. The proposed quarry would be located 1 kilometre from homes in Royalla and within 2 to 5 kilometres of south Canberra suburbs. Residents of these suburbs were, until recently completely unaware of the quarry proposal and were at no time included in the consultation process. If this quarry gets approved in what was always a rural residential area, it calls into question the consistency and transparency of the zoning approvals process and potentially undermines future community engagement and trust.
My second concern is the sheer volume of truck movements per day as the reports have stated that Monaro Rock intend to have 25 trucks per hour and a maximum of 200 trucks per day. Will this cap be monitored and if so who will be responsible and what consequence will be imposed if this cap is exceeded? This proposes significant risks as there is a lot of movement and congestion already on the Monaro Highway, and even if these trucks use an alternative route, they would still be using small community roads impacting residents through excessive noise and dust. Our roads are not capable of accommodating heavy laden trucks and this poses a significant safety risk.
My major concern is the significant health risks to the community. I have worked for 28 years at the Canberra Hospital in oncology and have seen the impact of dust related illnesses. The primary method of extracting hard rock, in this case Rhyodacitic Ignimbrite with quartz content of 30-40% is a dusty process. Crushing, stockpiling and transporting this product will guarantee exposure to respirable crystalline silica. This product can be compared with asbestos and is lethal. There is no safe exposure level for either of these products so any exposure is absolutely unacceptable. It is imperative that this is taken seriously and not dismissed. In particular, the proposed site’s exposure to southerly winds poses significant risk and these winds will carry dust and silica directly toward homes in Royalla. Exposure to silica dust leads to Silicosis and is a death sentence. I have no confidence in Monaro Rock to contain the exposure to respirable crystalline silica. I would also like to know how this will be monitored and by whom. The mitigation strategies listed in the EIS document provided by Monaro rock are only to reduce the spread of dust and not remove the risk completely. There is also some question around the availability of groundwater that will be used in this process.
I have other concerns but will keep this short, there are three other quarries in proximity already able to supply regional needs for the next 100 years. These existing quarries are not working to capacity so there is no need for a new quarry. The impact of large scale industrial activity, dust, noise, and the health risks will impact the entire region, Royalla, Little Burra , Mount Campbell Estate, Fernleigh Park, Googong and Karabar in NSW, and also Theodore, Calwell, Richardson and Gilmore within the ACT.
This quarry should not go ahead.
kind regards
H & A

Please read my submission in full and understand this is not just my families livelihood but our actual lives.
Thank you

My comments are provided in the attachments. I object strongly to this proposal.