Goulburn district residents demand details on Global Quarries plan

Global Quarries Australia has also blamed COVID for delays in releasing a much-awaited environmental impact statement.

But residents have said the company has had ample time to undertake the studies and the delays have caused significant stress for the community.

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Goulburn district residents fight Global Quarries plan | Letter to the editor

Residents reel over Winfarthing Road quarry

Global Quarries proposes project near Goulburn

The company wants to develop a hardrock quarry on two lots off Winfarthing Road, 13km northeast of Goulburn. The state significant project would extract up to 500,000 tonnes of aggregate to supply Sydney and potentially, Gouburn regional markets over its expected 18-year life. The company estimates a six million tonne saleable product.

The operation would involve drilling, blasting, processing and transport on an average 45 trucks daily through to the Hume Highway.

The proposal has sparked community concerns about silica dust, water, heritage, environmental, visual and noise impacts. The Neighbours of Winfarthing Road group formed almost three years ago in response. It has 50 members.

Member Graeme Dally recently addressed the council and a Marulan outreach meeting about the issues and the "stress" the proposal was causing residents. He cited physical and mental health issues and said people were "continually questioning" decisions on their future, renovations, business and whether to sell their home.

"Global Quarries has given eight different times as to when their Environmental Impact Statement would be submitted and it still hasn't happened. It's causing a lot of stress," Mr Dally told The Post.

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The company recently asked the NSW Department of Environment and Planning for a second extension on the its secretaries environmental requirements (SEARS) , which underpins the EIS, this time until July, 2023.

Mr Dally and wife Wendy said there had been little information circulated to residents and to date, consultation had been 'poor.'

Now Global Quarries says it will undertake a 'major information campaign' to inform the community about its plan.

The company's project manager Vergilio Serra said a formal application would be lodged once all environmental studies were done. He blamed major delays on the difficulty of securing specialists from around Australia to undertake the various reports.

"(This month) we were out in the local community, door knocking residents, speaking to business representatives and organising meetings to discuss the project and get feedback. This will continue," he said in statement.

"We want to develop an ongoing relationship with the community through effective and regular consultation, and to outline the benefits of the project for local employment and business."

However the Dallys said not everyone received previous surveys, the company had rejected requests for a public meeting and although representatives had sought feedback from Marulan people in the last few weeks, they had little knowledge of the project.

The couple argued that if Global Quarries was serious about consultation, it would arrange appointments with people rather than door knock when many were not at home. They also cited other major quarry proposals in NSW where environmental studies had been completed during COVID.

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Mrs Dally said many had struggled to understand complex issues such as potential silica dust and pollution impacts. In addition, Global Quarries wants to progressively rehabilitate the extraction area by back-loading trucks with virgin extracted natural material, which they describe as 'clean fill.'

Mr Dally contends the EPA has no designation for this material and it may contain anything.

"The chemical, mineral, vegetation and waste components will not be compatible with our environment," he recently told councillors.

The community, through the consultative committee, has raised more than 350 concerns, including the impact on the E3 environmental corridor and its endangered flora and fauna and an outstanding Aboriginal claim on Crown Land the company wanted to use.

However Mrs Dally said Global Quarries had ''continually' said it couldn't answer these questions until studies were completed.

"We are seriously considering that if there is going to be silicosis, we can't stay," she said.

"No one wants to leave; we love it. This company wants to come here and make money but we feel everything we've worked for will be jeopardised."

Mayor Peter Walker said people strongly aired their views at the Marulan outreach meeting.

"People are stressed to the max and that's not fair," he said.

"It's a state government decision. The council is 100 per cent behind the community but we can't do anything until the application is lodged. We'll respond on the community's behalf."

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In the meantime, the council has written to the State's planning department urging a meeting between Global Quarries and residents.

The company's community relations officer, Bill Pickering, said the COVID lockdowns had genuinely impacted the EIS but an aboriginal heritage impact assessment and other studies were underway.

Community consultative committee meetings would now ramp up along with interviews with affected people and a drop-in information session. He ruled out a wider public meeting.

"We'll do everything we can to give people a say," he said.

"...The whole process is designed to work out the community concerns and how they can be addressed."

He stressed the company had already changed entry and exit points from Winfarthing Road, to the Hume Highway, with turn-in and turn-out lanes, in response to comments. Proposed operations had also altered to minimise noise.

The company hopes an EIS can be completed by mid 2022, followed by the development application.

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