Please see attached submission.

I object to the project for the following reasons
Increased traffic involving heavy vehicles on an already busy road
Loss of natural environment and habitat

This will affect all the businesses around the area. Tourists and locals are less likely to spend money near a mine. Regardless of acoustic barriers, I believe the noise will negatively impact local retreats and businesses that have positioned themselves to be close to nature. Despite the ground being flat, I do think most people driving past will see more mining and industry as a bad thing; this will be bad for locals' mental health and will make the Nelson Bay area less of an ideal tourist destination. I don't think we built up the road just to have more trucks on it destroying it. I'm surprised that the discovery of Aboriginal artefacts hasn't put a stop to the application already.

As a regular user of Nelson Bay Road I have major concerns for my safety and the safety of other road users with the increased truck movements on the road. The sand trucks that use the road now do not always contain their loads with sand spilling on the road and vehicles travelling near them. Speed limits and not adhered to.
The location of the proposed Quarry is too close to not only homes but the school. Given the evidence of harm caused by silica (proven) the location is not suitable, fine particles cannot be managed in the air with the amount of wind in a coastal location.
Tourists provide a major source of income for the Port Stephens area, the proposal includes clearing of land that will be harmful to the environment and take away from the nature that draws visitors to the area.

I am a local resident of Anna Bay. This quarry would be disastrous for our local environment and traffic congestion. It would also severely pollute our air and degrade our beautiful environment.

That many truck movements daily on that section of road will be dangerous.
Fast moving traffic on a dual section of Nelson Bay Rd will come up against slow moving trucks.
That many trucks using the Port Stephens Drive roundabout daily will also prove problematic for local road users.

If this Sand quarry has 200 + truck movements North to quarry and 200 south to the quarry, me and others will find it difficult to exit our driveways on Nelson Bay Road. I am talking about the single lane sections of Nelson Bay Road south of the proposed mine ( 99.9% of trucks will travel south). It is difficult to exit now due to large traffic numbers and would be more dangerous with an extra 400 truck movements (200 north and 200 south).
This project should be paused until the Nelson Bay Road Bypass is completed, and it would be against public safety to approve it before the bypass is finished.
Kind Regards
Shane Scanlon

Two hundred trucks per day driving along Nelson Bay Road as if there isn’t enough traffic congestion already. Where does all this sand end up? How big of a quarry do you think this is going to be? There is already sand erosion in the LGA and this will just add more as well as diesel exhaust

As a father of young children I would like to see more industry to support the community

I OBJECT resoundingly to this project. I ask that you REFUSE this project. It is unacceptable on so many levels.
The sand mine should not approved due to so many reasons but a few major ones.
Traffic and Road safety Risks – The number of trucks and the amount of sand to be extracted. Up to 40 heavy trucks an hour. These trucks are supposed to drive all the way up to Port Stephens Drive roundabout, I am positive they won’t waste that time, and they will try to turn at Marsh rd or even go Marsh Rd. Marsh Rd is a disaster already and has by RMS had its limit reduced to 60kmh due to the condition of the road.
Another issue is that Nelson Bay Rd before the sand mine road is the change from 100 to 80 and on a corner. I was driving that the other day and I was thinking about the sand mine. I was considering how extremely dangerous it would be if a sand mine truck had just slowed in front of me or had pulled off on to the road.
The next day I was then following a b double truck up to the Port Stephens Drive. It had to cross over to the right hand lane and tried to then turn around at the roundabout. All cars around it had to hold back. If this was 40 trucks an hour it would be absolutely choas on already extremely busy road.
When accidents occur on Nelson Bay Rd, Marsh Rd is used as the access road, THESE trucks can’t be allowed to go on Marsh Rd.
The rules around how the trucks use the roads need to be acknowledged and enforced but then deemed acceptable because they will be monitored and managed in the future.
Habitat Destruction and Threat to Wildlife –
24 hectares of native vegetation will be destroyed.
Wildlife corridor between the Tomaree and Tilligerry peninsula will be destroyed.
Critical Koala Habitat
Threatened species – Koala, Powerful Owl, Masked Owl, Squirrel Glider, GreyHeaded Flyins fox.
Site Suitability –
It is at the gateway to Port Stephens - at the entrance there will be an ugly mine with trucks coming and going. People come to Port Stephens for the beautiful environment as you come down that hill you feel like you have got to Port Stephens.
Bobs Farm school – the application thinks it is ok because the road isn’t going past the school. But it is no better because it is too close to the school. There will be constant noise and dust, disturbance to the students.
Local houses – the houses around that site have recent been sold, as beautiful coastal retreats. These people do not want a sand mine in their backyard.
We live down the road by 1.5 kms but we have bought our property to have a lasting legacy for our family, we don’t want to be living near a sand mine.
Other issues of Dangerous Groundwater Risks – razor thin margins, acid sulphate soils and other issues that haven’t been resolved.
Unproven Noise Compliance and Health and Dust risks
Climate change impacts have not been adequately assessed.

The project needs to refused and this beautiful area needs to be protected for the future of the world and our children and grandchildren.