I OPPOSE THE MARTINS CREEK QUARRY EXPANSION.

I oppose it for numerous reasons.

1. The increase in noise, earth tremors and dust pollution that the locals are currently being forced to endure.
I personally have friends who are living with the psychological trauma that this quarry is causing to their lifestyles.

2. The ridiculous increase in truck movement on our county roads.

3. The danger that these trucks impose to both motorists and pedestrians not to mention the degradation they are causing to the roads.

4. The destruction of the beautiful town of Paterson's heart.
If the footpaths are reduced on the corner of Gresford Rd and King St and a cement island is placed in the roadway, it will be impossible for the Post Office, the Service Staion, The Cafe and The C.B.C. to be accessed by the public. Crossing the road will become hazardous.

There will be NO Paterson as we know it. The major focus of our town will be nothing but a giant,noisy,busy, intersection.

Please take into account that this historic town is a draw card for tourists and it's beauty can be undone by the greed of a businessman with no social conscience.

If the existing railway line were to be utilized, a great deal of concern could be ameliorated. This must be looked at as an alternative to the roads being used.

The Bolwarra Heights Community Group
Outline of Objections to the Martins Creek Quarry expansion
Who are we? The Bolwarra Heights Community Group is made up of residents who live on or near Tocal Rd Bolwarra Heights, mainly in the narrow section of Tocal Rd between the intersection of Maitland Vale Rd and Paterson Rd. Our group was formed in 2014 due to our serious concerns for road/pedestrian safety and increased road noise and congestion caused by a major increase of quarry truck traffic on Tocal Rd. This increase in quarry trucks movements was a result of Daracon's Martin Creek quarry supplying hard rock for the Hexham rail depot upgrade. The quarry increased output from 300,000TPA to an estimated 1 million TPA for the duration of the project. This increase was outside their DA approved output capacity and was not approved and resulted in complaints from residents in all affected communities to the EPA, Dracon, Maitland City Council and State Government. Having lived through the nightmare of the extremely high volume of truck movements on our road, we strongly object to the Daracon's application to expand the quarry, increase the output to 1.5 million tonnes per year, extend the hours of operation and increase number of trucks on our local roads.
We ask for the application to be rejected for the following reasons:
1. Pedestrian and vehicle SAFETY. The section of Tocal Rd between Maitland Vale Rd and Paterson Rd was originally built as a minor access road to local farms from Maitland Vale through to Lambs Valley. Now it is the main road to Paterson and Dungog areas; it is narrow, congested and not suitable for fully laden 50 ton double quarry trucks at a rate of 80 movements per hour. It is very narrow with no shoulders to avoid a potential accident, power poles; one side has a pedestrian footpath with no room for error with the pedestrians walking within one metre of these large trucks driving at 60kmph or above.

2. NOISE at our homes. This section of the road is a tree lined, previously quiet part of the community to live. That's why many of us moved here. With the illegal increase of trucks in 2014/15, as mentioned above, the noise was unbearable for all with empty quarry trucks rattling through as early as 4:30am and going well into the evening each day. The proposed increase will see at least 50% more truck movements than in 2014/15. It is totally unacceptable that we and other residents should endure this just to allow one company to enjoy healthier profits. According to the surveys presented in the EIS the Tocal Rd area will be the most affected by proposed increased (69dba).

3. DUST and AIR QUALITY. Houses on Tocal Rd are very close to the haulage route and exposed to high volume of dust and diesel engine exhaust emissions from truck movements. Diesel emissions contain carcinogenic substances and increase the risk of lung cancer, therefore we deem it unacceptable to be exposed to 80 truck movements per hour on the top of regular traffic.


4. The EXTENDED HOURS asked for in the application would mean that Daracon, contractor and private quarry trucks will be on our roads from before the quarry opens to after it closes, this in our area would mean from 4:30am till 8:00pm continually for 6 days a week. This is unacceptable for a residential area.

5. The CONSULTATION process was an exercise in ticking a box imposed by the Government and not a genuine consultation. We and other concerned groups attended the scheduled meetings, but it was one way communication not a dialogue. We were not allowed to give input or query the expansion plans. All it did was to allow Daracon to state in the EIS that they have consulted with the communities.


6. The EIS has not taken into account future housing developments and associated vehicle loading or the COMBINED TRUCK LOADS of both Martins Creek and nearby Brandy Hill quarries. Brandy Hill Quarry (application # 5899) also seeks planning approval to increase annual production to 1.5 million tonnes per annum and extend the hours of operation to 24hrs Mon-Sun, including 144 loads per day (288 trucks movements including empty trucks travelling to the quarry). Trucks from both quarries meet at the intersection of Tocal Rd and Paterson Rd which now makes this tight intersection very hazardous for all users. The vast increase in trucks proposed by the Martins Creek quarry expansion would see this intersection and the roads south extremely congested and dangerous.

7. The vast majority of trucks that haul to and from the quarry are non Daracon trucks (contractors or private trucks). Darcon (David Mingay) has openly admitted, and the company has proven, that they have NO CONTROL over the non Daracon trucks. These trucks commonly do not conform to Daracons' road use policies in the way of speed reductions, engine breaking and general poor/noisy condition of the trucks. Any expansion of the quarry would see the number of non Daracon trucks and their associated problems increase dramatically and it will be out of Daracon's control.

8. We strongly believe the ENVIRONMENT around the Martins Creek quarry will be severely affected by the clearing of an additional 37 hectares of native vegetation, including habitat vital for endangered and threatened species. We believe that Daracon has no right to destroy the valuable native environment just to increase profits of a company which has nil positive impact on the community.
Our local roads have seen a vast increase in traffic over the last few years with many native animals being hit and killed by road users, including possums, lizards, birds, snakes and kangaroos; any increase in truck movements and habitat loss will only exasperate this problem.
Furthermore the quarry operations pose a big risk to water quality from erosion and sedimentation. Buttai Gravel Pty Ltd (part of Daracon group) was already fined four times in the last 2.5 years by EPA for breaching the conditions of its Environment Protection Licence for Martins Creek Quarry.

9. Daracon's demands are in strike contrast with the character of settlements such as
Paterson, Martins Creek, Bolwarra Heights and Lorn. They are all small villages frequented by tourists and cyclists. They are not only significant in their own right, but are also on the route to Barrington Tops. Their reputation as places of safe recreation would be jeopardised by noise, dust and danger from truck movements associated with the quarry. This would subsequently lead to the DEVALUATION OF PROPERTY PRICES. So far Bolwarra Heights has been sought after, leafy, semi-rural area. Extended Daracon's operations would change our suburb into an industrial corridor.

10. It has been stated that the quarry does not pay the State Government any royalties for the tonnage of product that is extracted from the quarry. It is also understood that the ongoing major repairs to Tocal Rd is funded by our taxes, which is neither fair nor acceptable.


Due to the long list of negative social and environmental impacts on our community and lack of any positive ones, we ask the NSW Planning and Environment Department to reject Daracon's application for the expansion of the quarry involving clearing of native vegetation, increasing the output to 1.5 million tonnes per year, extending the hours of operation and increasing number of trucks on our local roads. We would like to take this opportunity to ask for the following limitations and improvements to be imposed on Daracon's current operations:
1. That the output tonnage carried by trucks from the quarry is limited to 300,00TPA, that is, any extra to 300,000TPA be transported by means of rail transport.

2. Hours of truck haulage are minimised to between 7am till 5pm Monday to Friday only.


3. That Daracon enforce a 40kmph speed limit to all trucks that travel the section of Tocal Rd between Maitland Vale Rd and Paterson Rd, and that engine breaking is not used in residential areas.

4. A system be implemented that gives clear identification of all trucks that haul to and from the quarry, similar to the high vis ID labels used by coal mines. This will help identify rouge truck drivers on the public roads, and that Daracon enforce a disciplinary system to deal with drivers who contravene Daracon's procedures.


5. That Daracon contribute adequately to public road repairs and upgrades, minimising the burden on tax payers.

6. That Daracon enforce that all trucks comply with a `minimum good condition standard' which will minimise noise on our roads. Currently the owned and operated Daracon trucks appear to be to such a standard, but nearly all non Daracon trucks are below standard.


7. That Daracon supply new electronic speed advisory signs on either side of Tocal Rd in our vicinity.

"I Strongly oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion"
Myself and young family live near the intersection of Butterwick Rd and Duns Creek Rd.
We lived through the experience of high haulage movements of trucks in 2014 / 2015 and do not want to see this again.
We experienced dangerous situations in Paterson township. Paterson River Bridge which is virtually one lane and close incidents while also travelling along Butterwick Rd.
The Haulage routes are not built for this type of proposal or either the Historic township of Paterson.
The original quarry approval was for the use of material for Train ballast to hauled mostly by Rail as its original operator State Rail had intended.
We have noticed over time that a number of new residents have settled in the area and see this as a good thing for local country towns. Paterson itself is growing and community being more involved as they see it as a unique setting.
The expansion of the quarry would completely ruin the township and its associated habitats towns people would be driven away by this and also property values would also diminish.
Thank You.

We understand that currently Dungog Council is in dispute with Daracon as it is vastly exceeding the licence that State Rail had, and almost all is being send by road. The old licence was in the vicinity of 500,000 tonnes per year, and Daracon have been extracting much more than that. The expansion proposal will increase to 1,500,000 tonnes per year. Plant maintenance 24/7, processing 6 am - 10 pm with trucks loading/despatching from 5.30 am - 7.00 pm, an estimate of 400 to 600 truck movements per day along local government roads through rural and urban residential roads like Paterson road, Hinton Road, Martins Creek road ,Seaham road, Brandy Hill Drive, Clarence Town road. In the foreseeable future empty trucks and trailers will be coming along local roads at around 4.30 am to line up at Martins Creek Quarry for loading to being at 5.30 am.
The Quarry also proposed a concrete batching plant, concrete wash out waste recycling, and a mobile pre coat plant for asphalts.
Currently the Quarry has no limits on its life with the proposal it is to be 30 years.
Hanson will be seeking Production, sale and maintenance 24 hrs 7 days a week and blasting to be Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm only.
Brandy Hill Quarry traffic impact assessment by Intersect Traffic Pty Ltd, in their report said the Martins Creek Quarry extension will not increase traffic on local road network significantly and will not impact on the efficiency of the network.
Well, for example, approximately 190 vehicle movements per day and at peak hourly traffic volume of 84 vehicle trips per hour for Brandy Hill Quarry. Where there are no constructed foot paths therefor facilities for pedestrians are non existent. So it is my understanding that the volume from Martins Creek Quarry and Brandy Hill Quarry will have a huge impact on local roads and major intersections such as the roundabouts at Seaham Road, Raymond Terrace and Paterson Road, Bolwarra , a truck movement every minute and in peak it could be 2 truck movements every minute on 80kph and 100kph roads.
The concerns of no footpaths, no properly constructed off-road bus stops and safety for residents, lack of safe egress for children walking to school or bus stop, and cyclists considering the large increase in truck traffic that will be generated by Martins creek Quarry. We believe we need the upgrade of the road and provide footpaths for safety of residents. This will impacted upon all residents using local roads and that includes Seaham Road which we use daily to access Raymond Terrace and Newcastle and Clarence Townn Road and Paterson Road to access Maitland.
We favour there is a partial answer to getting some of the Daracon trucks off our roads and that is to ask that State Planning carries forward the requirement of no more than 30% by road with the balance by rail as there is an existing rail siding at Martins Creek Quarry.

The current road infrastructure is inadequate for supporting the present number of trucks that go through Paterson. It needs less, not more.
The slight increase in jobs to the area is not worth the damage to the town of Paterson, and the negative effects that the quarry expansion will have on the atmosphere of what is one of the areas' nicer towns.
Daracon wants to start driving trucks through the city too early.
The owners of the quarry have acted without planning consent in the past, and it is therefore clear that they do not have the best interests of the community in mind.
The trucks drive too loudly and dangerously through the town as it is.
Truck movement in the town makes it a transit and haulage passage, and destroys the tranquillity of the historical town. The main road is already unpleasant enough with current truck movement - more would surely be detrimental to local businesses operating in Paterson.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion

To who it may concern,

I live at Mindaribba on Tocal Road.
It is already hazardous to exit our driveway with the current number of trucks from the quarry that travel at the posted speed limit of 100km/hour, both laden and empty.
The trucks are noisy and dusty.
When the quarry exceeded the allowed number of truck movements in order to transport gravel to the Hexham train construction project the disruption was significant,and I felt that it was much more dangerous entering and leaving our driveway.
I was overtaken on the left by trucks from the quarry as I waited to turn into my driveway which is very frightening as the trucks left the road and drove on the verge in order to do this.
Our sleep is disturbed by the trucks from early morning.
Tocal Road is in a constant state of disrepair with potholes all along it-I feel that the trucks travelling at high speeds and heavily laden are a highly significant contributor to the damage to our roads.
The last thing we want is ANY increase in the number of trucks.
Kind regards,
Sue Graykowski and Tim Ryan

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