Multiquip Quarries argues the toss over Bungonia haul route

Multiquip Quarries’ operations manager Steve Wall told councillors at their meeting on Tuesday that several road conditions were costly and unnecessary.

He also accused the council of doing little work on part of the haul route along Jerrara Road and expecting the company to pick up the cost.

Multiquip has lodged an application to the State Government to boost production at its quarry, 4km south of Bungonia, from 400,000 to 580,000 annually. It involves a 3.5 hectare extension to the extraction area, an  increase in the maximum number of trucks from 88 to 124 daily, increased operating hours for loading and transportation from 5am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 5am to 5pm on Saturdays, construction of a bitumen pre-coating plant and extending the quarry’s life by eight years to 2047.

The council, as the roads authority, signed off on the terms of a submission to the State Government on Tuesday. It did not object to the expansion but called for extra roadworks and a “detailed analysis of the likely social impacts” of the development on the community, given the proposed change in truck operating times.

But Mr Wall said the company was concerned about some aspects of the council response.

He baulked at a suggestion that the haul route’s road shoulder should be increased to 1.5 metres, with a 0.5m seal. The company is widening Jerrara Road to 3.5m lanes with one metre shoulder, including a 0.5m seal. Mr Wall said this 9m width was in line with the council’s DCP but staff were now applying Austroad standards.

But council operations director Matt O’Rourke replied that the DCP relied on Austroad standards and he was reluctant to go against them. Multiquip would also be transporting product on Performance Based Standard vehicles, carrying up to 50.3 tonnes, as opposed to 30 tonnes, with four-axle trucks and five-axle dog trailers. The trucks are described as more efficient.

Mr Wall also objected to a requirement for a “turning path analysis” at all intersections, saying the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator had already approved the haul route for the PBS vehicles. But again, Mr O’Rourke said this was a requirement under Austroad standards.

The council also called for a fresh pavement analysis of the haul route and upgrades where the life was less than 10 years at the start of haulage.

“It appears that minimal maintenance has been undertaken/funded by council on the haul route since at least the date of the current consent (2009),” Mr Wall said.

“Multiquip have made negligible use of the route until the end of 2017 but is expected to fund eight years of degradation and neglect. (We) see this as an impost...It appears Multiquip is expected to fund road maintenance work we did not cause, during a time when it was council who had sole responsibility for this section of road.”

Mr O’Rourke replied that he did not have a problem with this change, saying it was appropriate to set a new benchmark from the point at which the heavier trucks hit the road. He predicted pavement deterioration would be “much more magnified.”

The company has also objected to a council requirement for a “uniform and weather proof surface” on the current road widening and its resealing. Mr Wall said it was already weather-proof and the request was an impost, given the $450,000 cost of a single layer of 10mm re-sheeting.

A report stated the council appreciated Multiquip’s community engagement efforts but was aware of a landowner who hadn’t been consulted about the project. Staff did not believe residents had been sufficiently consulted about the current truck operating hours.

At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors also discussed residents’ concerns about the “danger” of cars turning right off Jerrara Road into Tickner Valley Road, with trucks coming over a sharp crest beforehand. They have asked for a turning lane, a point which Cr Peter Walker pursued with planning staff.

In a move that has worried some residents, the council has left the door open to negotiating a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) with Multiquip for road contributions. This would replace section 94 fees.

The report appeared to rule out a VPA, stating that it needed to be struck as part of a development proposal and no such talks had occurred. But in an email to an objector, general manager Warwick Bennett said the council intended to enter into a VPA with Multiquip but any outcome “would be better for the community.” The agreement would be advertised for public input.

The council has called for an updated road safety audit in light of the heavier trucks and a mechanism ensuring all movements are “recorded and verifiable.”

Planning director Louise Wakefield told the meeting that Multiquip still had opportunity to negotiate the council conditions if it could prove to the Department its plans already met them.

The council’s submission will be forwarded to the Department of Planning. Public submissions are due by February 26. 

Meantime, the Department is hosting a consultation session with the community at the Bungonia hall on Monday, March 12 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. It is an additional opportunity for people to voice their views about the modification.