I object to the Quarry being built in Royalla. I fear for the health of myself and my Family, as we moved here 15 years ago to have a healthier lifestyle to be able to breath in fresh air and have peace and quiet knowing that our water was also safe to drink. I fear for the large trucks that will be travelling on our highway which is not built for the amount of traffic that is currently on our roads let alone 500 more trucks a day. Our wildlife should not be disturbed full stop, but this will also impact motor vehicle accidents on our roads and i fear for the safety of my children travelling on the roads. For the health and safety of the all the communities and suburbs around the areas affected by the quarry. Please stop the quarry.

The proposed quarry is less than 5kms from my home. The sound of any blasting and dust will potentially reach my home and affect my family and many of my neighbours. The quarry will also increase the heavy vehicle traffic along the Monaro highway. I have witnessed several serious accidents caused by heavy vehicles along this road. Myself and other residents will be put at risk due to these heavy vehicles on our daily commute. The sound from the heavy vehicles will also affect our suburb. Theodore is in a small valley that traps a lot of sound from the Monaro highway this will add a lot of new sound pollution. In my opinion there are already several other quarry’s in the area. It seems excessive to add another while the others are operational. Australia is a plentiful vast country, why would it even be a consideration to place a quarry near residential areas.

The proposed quarry is less than 5kms from my home. The sound of any blasting and dust will potentially reach my home and affect my family and many of my neighbours. The quarry will also increase the heavy vehicle traffic along the Monaro highway. I have witnessed several serious accidents caused by heavy vehicles along this road. Myself and other residents will be put at risk due to these heavy vehicles on our daily commute. The sound from the heavy vehicles will also affect our suburb. Theodore is in a small valley that traps a lot of sound from the Monaro highway this will add a lot of new sound pollution. In my opinion there are already several other quarry’s in the area. It seems excessive to add another while the others are operational. I’ve seen several of Monaro mix trucks on my commute already and witnessed several near miss accidents with these truck and dogs over the years.

I have lived in Theodore, A.C.T for over 19 years. I have concerns about the Quarry being built and run in the location that has been selected due to the silica dust that will reach Theodore, and the large amount of additional trucks that will be used along the Monaro Hwy daily, crashes are already a problem on the Monaro Hwy and I'm concerned that the increase in Trucks will further exacerbate the problem. I also have concerns about material from the Quarry running in to the Tuggeranong Creek, which then eventually leads to Tuggeranong Lake which already has problems with Algae and other things. Thankyou for your time.

I write to strongly oppose the proposed Monaro rock quarry development near Theodore, ACT—approximately 3km from my home, where I’ve lived for over 20 years.

This project poses serious risks to the health, wellbeing, and lifestyle of local residents. My family, including members with asthma, already contend with compromised air quality due to woodfire smoke. Introducing quarry dust into this environment would significantly worsen conditions, with potential long-term health consequences like exposure to silica which is linked to cancer.

The proximity of the quarry to community spaces, including sporting ovals regularly used by children and regional events raises further concerns. The impact of airborne particulates on young lungs and active individuals cannot be ignored. Beyond health, the noise pollution from heavy machinery and increased truck traffic will disrupt daily life. I already hear vehicles from the Monaro Highway; the addition of hundreds of quarry trucks will be relentless and invasive.

There is also a financial impact. Property values in the area are likely to decline, unfairly penalising long-term residents who have invested in and contributed to this community. We should not bear the cost of diminished asset value for a project that offers no direct benefit to us.

The environmental consequences are equally troubling. The irreversible damage to local ecosystems, combined with the lack of meaningful consultation and public awareness, reflects a disregard for the community’s voice.

Traffic congestion on the Monaro Highway (already a busy route) will worsen, affecting both local and interstate commuters. Longer travel times mean less time with family and more stress for working residents.

I urge decision-makers to reconsider this proposal. The community deserves to be heard. We chose to live in Theodore for its natural beauty and peaceful environment, not to have it disrupted for commercial gain. This quarry is not a necessity. Protecting the health, homes, and quality of life of long-standing residents is.

Governments are entrusted to act in the public interest. Projects that threaten communities must be scrutinised, and the voices of those affected must be prioritised.

Our homes are not collateral damage. The risks are too high. This quarry must not proceed in its proposed location.

The suburbs around this areas already have on mining site currently being used.
Adding another would cause significant impact to the environment, it’s close to our main water site, communities that were developed to support country family friendly environments.
This goes against everything communities were sold when developments were built.
Not to mention that the Monaro is already a high accident zone, the level of traffic this would bring to already struggling infrastructure would cause more lives to be lost in road incidents.

I am immunocompromised and I am deeply concerned about the impact on my health caused by the silica dust from this quarry. As Tuggeranong is a valley, the dust will settle and it will be difficult to remove safely.
I am also concerned that the blasts and shockwaves will reach deep into Tuggeranong. I recently purchased a house with my fiancée in Theodore because it was peaceful and I enjoy watching the wildlife. Our cat is deeply anxious and her anxiety is presented through aggression. We moved from the town centre to a much quieter area to help her settle and address her aggressive behaviour. Since moving to Theodore, Chai (the cat) has been cuddlier and isn’t as violent as she doesn’t have loud sounds echoing around her like she did in the apartment. She can watch the birds in peace and quiet as an inside cat. Shockwaves and blasts caused by the quarry will ruin this for both the two humans living in the house and the cat. Chai has been doing so well, and took the move from the apartment poorly. I worry that she will not cope with another move should the quarry go ahead and with the noises and shockwaves she can not stay here. It would not be fair for her. As the quarry is proposed in or near a nature reserve, the quarry will negatively impact our native wildlife.
I am also concerned for the residents in Royalla, who will be impacted the most with the quarry essentially on their doorstep.
On the topic of blasting, I am concerned that the shockwaves will dislodge boulders in the Rob Roy nature reserve and on Tuggeranong Hill. As the boulders roll downhill they will hit homes and cause huge amounts of damage. I am also concerned about the stability of housing foundations, will the blasts and shockwaves impact the earth enough that it will impact house foundations? No insurance company will cover that, leaving people out of pocket in a worst case scenario.
I have concerns about the use of water to cut the rocks mined in the quarry. Going in to bushfire season, especially with how dry the weather has been, I am worried that should we have another bushfire like the Orroral Valley Fire we will not be able to combat it so efficiently leading to Royalla and the Tuggeranong Valley in danger of being burned. The Canberra Bushfires happened in my formative years and family very almost lost their home in those fires. Subsequently I have a deep, deep fear of bushfires and the lack of water to fight a fire with terrifies me.

I do not think the quarry should be in an area that will impact residents and native flora and fauna so severely. The noise levels, health impacts due to silica dust and shockwaves are troubling to name a few issues.

I am against the Monaro Rock Quarry for the following reasons:
From a biodiversity aspect, Enchanted Hill will have over 22 hectares of Box Gum grassy woodland cleared, with a total of over 77 hectares. This is equal to about 8.29 million square feet. There will be nothing Enchanted about the this area if the quarry goes ahead. Over 300 species of flora and fauna will be also be removed and it will become essentially an environmental wasteland.
The Monaro Highway from Williamsdale to the Calwell roundabout is a particularly dangerous section of the highway. There have been multiple incidents with fatalities and serious injuries. A number of theses accidents involved heavy vehicles, to increase the amount of these heavy vehicles by up to another 500 a day, is an accident waiting to happen. The traffic currently on the highway has increased dramatically over the past 15 years and of course, in the snow season even more so. The traffic tails back from Calwell to past the Royalla solar farm. This itself exacerbates the driver fatigue and dangerous manoeuvres by traffic on this stretch of the highway. The road itself, is in an unacceptable and unsafe state for motorists, especially motorcyclists. I have not seen the plans yet for the new intersection, but be prepared to place black spot signs, as that is what it will become if the quarry goes ahead.
The Royalla area already receives its fair share of dust from a neighbouring quarry. This proposal will only increase the dust and the odour from the proposed hot mix asphalt. Also, the inevitable blasting which will happen, causing potential damage to homes in the area.
The probability that there will be more brownouts due to the heavy plant used in the quarry.
The irreparable damage to Indigenous artifacts in the area, which were uncovered in the survey.
While currently we are all being educated on water conservation, this does not apply to the quarry. Which will use up to approximately 42.4 million litres of extracted groundwater. This will have a serious impact on the watercourses which then flow to Tuggeranong and potentially affect the rural bores on many properties in the area. The runoff from the use of all this water being used for dust suppression, washing of equipment and contamination from concrete recycling on the site.
There is a large population of people within 10km of the proposed site, not just the rural area of Royalla but Googong and Tuggeranong also.
This proposal is a long term disaster to the area, hopefully it will never go ahead.

I object to the proposed Monaro Rock Quarry Project on the following planning grounds:
1. Environmental Impacts
Dust, noise, and vibration from blasting, crushing, and truck movements will directly affect nearby residents, farming land, and wildlife habitats. This will reduce air quality and create an ongoing nuisance that is inconsistent with the rural and residential amenity of the district.
The project will result in the removal of native vegetation, which is likely to disrupt biodiversity corridors and threaten species that rely on the surrounding bushland.
Quarrying activities pose risks to groundwater and surface water quality, especially given the reliance of local households and properties on rainwater and tank storage.
2. Traffic and Road Safety
The proposal significantly increases heavy vehicle traffic on rural roads not designed for high-volume quarry trucks. This raises risks for school buses, local commuters, cyclists, and agricultural machinery that share these roads.
Increased truck movements will accelerate road degradation, leading to higher maintenance costs borne by the community and Council.
3. Amenity and Lifestyle
The quarry will fundamentally alter the character of the area, which is currently valued for its peace, rural landscapes, and suitability for farming and equestrian activities.
Ongoing quarry operations will negatively impact property values, discouraging investment and reducing confidence in the local housing market.
4. Health and Wellbeing
Dust and particulate emissions pose health risks, particularly for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory conditions.
Prolonged exposure to quarry noise and vibration is likely to have adverse mental health impacts on local residents due to stress, sleep disruption, and loss of quiet enjoyment of their homes.
5. Planning and Sustainability Concerns
The project is inconsistent with long-term planning objectives for sustainable rural residential and agricultural land use in the region.
Alternative quarry sites already exist in the broader Monaro and ACT region. Approving a new quarry so close to rural residential communities is unnecessary and unsustainable.

Conclusion
For these reasons, I strongly object to the Monaro Rock Quarry Project. The cumulative impacts on environment, traffic safety, community amenity, and health outweigh any economic or supply benefits. I urge the Department of Planning to refuse approval of this development.