I object to the project due to the increased heavy vehicles on our roads, the environmental impacts and health implications due to silica dust.

I am writing to object to the Monaro Rock Quarry proposal. After reviewing the available documentation, I believe the project is inconsistent with planning principles and would have unacceptable impacts in the areas of traffic, amenity, economic necessity, biodiversity, and water resources, particularly local aquifers.

1. Road Safety and Traffic Capacity
The quarry is projected to generate up to 500 heavy vehicle movements per day, equating to a truck entering or leaving the site every 1–2 minutes during operating hours.
Old Cooma Road is a single-lane rural road that is already unsuitable for its current use:
• In several sections, it is barely wide enough for two cars to pass, creating danger when larger vehicles approach. I personally feel unsafe when trucks come toward me due to the lack of road width. This situation is complicated if a cyclist happens to be on the road, and will undoubtedly lead to an accident at some point.
• After rain, potholes become unavoidable, creating further hazards for all road users.
• The road will face increasing traffic from the growing Googong development, which will add pressure even without the quarry.
The Monaro Highway, while a major road, is also frequently congested. During peak periods, such as the snow season and summer holiday traffic, traffic often banks up for many kilometres, especially around the entry and exit points near the proposed quarry. Adding hundreds of slow-moving, fully loaded quarry trucks to this highway will significantly worsen congestion and safety risks.
Even with upgrades, intersections near the site have limited sight distances, increasing the likelihood of collisions. There is no viable alternative route that would prevent these impacts from spilling into residential and community areas.

2. Noise, Dust, and Blasting Impacts
Operations are planned for 12 hours per day, six days per week, including blasting, crushing, and concrete/asphalt production. This will create ongoing industrial noise and vibration, impacting nearby residences.
The quarry will process 1,000,000 tonnes of material annually, generating dust containing respirable crystalline silica, a recognised health hazard. Fine particles can travel up to 16 km, placing approximately 92,000 residents within 10 km of the site at risk.
Almost all of the households in the area rely on rainwater tanks, which could become contaminated by dust. Dust suppression depends on substantial water use, which may not be sustainable during droughts.

3. Economic Redundancy
There are four existing quarries within 30 km of the site, including Williamsdale and Cooma Road quarries. These operate well below capacity, with an estimated 70 years of reserves remaining.
The Monaro Rock Quarry would duplicate existing supply, leading to oversaturation without clear public benefit. Even the proponent’s Environmental Impact Statement states it would supply only 25–30% of regional demand, indicating most demand is already met by current operations.
The limited employment benefits (approximately 20–30 jobs) do not justify the scale of impacts.

4. Biodiversity and Environmental Loss
The project would clear 77.83 hectares of native vegetation, including 22.44 hectares of critically endangered Box Gum Grassy Woodland, protected under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.
The site also provides habitat for threatened species, including:
• Pink-tailed Legless Lizard – 40 ha of potential habitat
• Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper – 2.35 ha
• Pale Pomaderris – 0.56 ha
• Small Purple-pea – 0.13 ha
• Silky Swainson-pea – 2.66 ha
This area is partly zoned C2 Environmental Conservation, reflecting its ecological value. Offsets cannot fully compensate for the permanent loss of this habitat.

5. Groundwater and Aquifer Impacts
The quarry will require up to 42.4 million litres of groundwater annually for dust suppression, processing, and concrete production.
This region has a history of groundwater stress. During the 2020 drought, many residential and agricultural bores ran dry. Extracting water at this scale risks lowering aquifer levels, which would reduce supply for residents and farms and impact surrounding ecosystems.
Aquifer depletion could also affect baseflows to Tuggeranong Creek, degrading water quality and threatening downstream ecosystems.

In summary, the Monaro Rock Quarry would:
• Overburden unsuitable roads like Old Cooma Road, already narrow and hazardous, and worsen congestion on the Monaro Highway.
• Reduce residential amenity through constant dust, noise, and blasting, risking drinking water quality from tank water
• Duplicate existing quarry capacity, which I believe already sufficient to meet regional demand for decades.
• Destroy critically endangered habitat and increase pressure on limited groundwater resources.

Given these significant and irreversible risks, I respectfully request that NSW Planning refuse approval for this project.

Too close to the suburbs. Don’t want this to go ahead. I object to this project. Do not proceed.

Please do not let this quarry go ahead. It is far too close to residential areas, will greatly disrupt people, traffic and wildlife. There are significant health risks for those of us living so close to the intended site, including poor air quality and silica dust. The roads are already busy and not equipped for hundreds of additional trucks per day. No quarry should be permitted so close to existing residential areas, a site much further away should be identified to minimise the impact on people and the environment. Please do not approve this project.

I object to this due to noise and dust

Development Application No. SSD-27223807
I am objecting to this project as I will be affected by a number of issues if this project is allowed to go ahead.
The concerns of neighboring residents as documented in the EIS, lists the issues raised by local residents from the consultation process 3 years ago, in response to the original proposal of a quarry only. It is only now with the publication of the EIS that we have learnt about the proposal to develop additional infrastructure for the production of premix concrete, an asphalt plant and a concrete recycling facility.

Concerns
Silica Dust - I am concerned with the hazards posed by finer silica dust which will result as a result of the quarrying process.
The study included in the EIS is based on the effects of particle size PM10 and PM2.5 which (according to this study which was commissioned by the developer) has a deposition zone of 1-2 km and max travel distance of 5 km. My residence is les than 3.5 km from the proposed quarry site. I have been told that it is advisable for me to fit additional filtration to my drinking water which is harvested from rain on my roof and also to install HEPA filters within my home during the 6 months of the year when the prevailing winds blow over the quarry site and directly towards my residence.
PM1 particles (not discussed by this study) penetrate deeper into lung (alveola region) and has to elevated toxicity due to the increasing surface area as particle size decreases. This is linked to accelerated silicosis, COPD lung cancer and other systemic effects. Silica dust of this size which is not covered by the impact study will typically travel up to 20kms. There are a number of suburbs and townships within a 20km radius of the quarry and the impact will affect thousands of people and over a dozen schools. According to Safe Work Australia, there is no safe level of silica dust exposure.

Policing of Safeguards/Mitigating requirements - I note that the impact of air quality, noise and blasting have been addressed by implementation of mitigating actions by the operator. My concern is that for the most part, this is a self-audited activity by the operator who would be motivated to comply to all the required safeguards during the periods of inspection/auditing only and relaxing these standards at other times.

My Other Concerns include;
• Water is a precious and limited resource and I note that the quarry requires large quantities of water especially for dust control.
• The proposed route for trucks requires access to infrastructure controlled by the ACT government. It is my great concern that this route will not eventuate and that our rural access road will be subjected to up to 500 truck movements per day if traffic for concrete, asphalt and recycled products are taken into account. I would like to see that the route via the Monaro Highway for truck access to/from the quarry becomes a mandatory requirement of this development.
• Social studies include in the EIS have not mentioned the areas of Little Burra and Mt. Pleasant estates which are of a significant size and adjacent to the quarry in addition to the Royalla estate. I suspect that we have been lumped in with Googong township which is between 6 – 9 kms from the quarry (not 13kms as stated in the EIS)
• Googong township (not the greater suburb of Googong with population of 13,800) has a population of approx. 7,400 and is a rapidly growing area.
• Similarly, the distances to other communities such as Burra have been stated to be further than the actual distance from the quarry.
• The zoning for the site of the quarry is currently set as Environmental Conservation and Rural landscape which reflects the values and expectations of the community already living here.
• This community immediately surrounding the proposed quarry site strongly identify with and have actively sought after the tranquility of this rural setting and we object to the disruption that the quarry will bring.
• There is a real threat that property values will decrease in proportion to the proximity to this industrial development in our midst. In addition, there is a real possibility of additional costs to implement extra filtration measures to our drinking water and the air within our homes.

The studies supporting the application have been commissioned and paid for by the developer. I would like to see a pause in the approval process so that additional independent studies be conducted to verify the finding as submitted in the EIS.
In addition, the air quality study should be expanded to include the effects of the PM1 size particles. The proposed mitigation measures should be expanded to include air quality monitoring throughout the surrounding areas – not just within the confines of the quarry property. The results of the air quality monitoring need to be transparent and available to the community.
The EIS comprises of 16 documents, one which is 503 pages developed over 4 years. The community has been given 4 weeks to respond, and it is not reasonable to expect a complete analysis of the EIS in four weeks. However, inconsistencies have been noted. Given the health, social and financial impact to a large number of people, I strongly urge that further independent investigation and community consultation be carried out and serious consideration be given to the overall impact to the local residents before deciding on the viability of this application.

Thank you
Nick George

I do not want the quarry as the roads around Royalla are already busy, dangerous and not suited for the extra traffic and trucks that the quarry will bring. Our bore water table will also be jeopardised.

As a long-term resident of Theodore, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed quarry development planned approximately 3km from our community.

This project raises serious concerns for the health, safety, and wellbeing of local families. Many residents, including children and individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma, already face challenges due to poor air quality exacerbated by woodfire smoke in winter. Introducing quarry dust into this environment would significantly worsen these conditions and pose unacceptable health risks.

The proposed site is alarmingly close to public spaces, including sporting ovals that host regular regional events. The impact of airborne particles on young athletes and spectators must be considered. The health of our community should not be compromised for commercial gain.

Noise pollution is another major concern. The sound of trucks from the Monaro Highway is already noticeable; the addition of heavy quarry traffic will be constant and disruptive. Residents deserve peace in their homes, not the relentless noise of industrial operations.

Property values in the area are also at risk. Many of us have lived here for decades, investing in our homes and contributing to the community. The prospect of declining property values due to the quarry is deeply unfair and unjustified.

The environmental impact of this project cannot be overstated. The damage to local ecosystems will be irreversible, and the proximity to residential areas is simply inappropriate. The lack of transparent consultation and limited public awareness about the project is deeply concerning.

Traffic congestion on the Monaro Highway will worsen, affecting both local and interstate commuters. Longer travel times mean less time with family and more stress for working individuals.

This project is not essential. What is essential is protecting the health, homes, and quality of life of the people who live here. We chose this area for its natural beauty and community spirit, not to have it disrupted by industrial development.

I urge decision-makers to listen to the voices of those who will be directly affected. The risks are too high, the benefits too narrow, and the consequences too lasting.

This quarry must not proceed in its proposed location.

Since the silica awareness courses, we were forced to subscribe too, im extremely worried and afraid of the impact of the dust that will be created by this Quarrie .
The other main concern is the substantial increase of heavy vehicles . The roads are never kept up to a safe standard especially on old Cooma road.

Too close to suburbs, do not want the mine to go ahead