Martins Creek Quarry Project

My wife and I oppose the proposed mining expansion for numerous reasons.
1. The increased amount of trucks is already a disruption to the town of Paterson. It has one road for all traffic to pass through and tandem trucks, or even single trucks slow down traffic and become hazardous to pedestrians and other cars.
2. There is no pedestrian crossing in the township for pedestrians to safely cross while up to 80 trucks per hour pass through the town.
3. Paterson already experiences major road damage from the existing amount of trucks passing through the town and doubling the existing traffic will worsen the state of the roads.
4. The increased hours of operation of the mine will also disrupt Paterson's normal operation and the small rural quietness that we enjoy.
5. There is no financial or cultural benefit to the local community. Trucks do not stop at the town and thus do not spend money at the town's shops and service providers.
6. Destroying another 37ha of land will reduce natural flora and fauna's habitat, increase run off, reduce topsoil and therefore damage terrain. Runoff into creeks and rivers, increase dust pollution that wind blows onto farming land, and does not aid into reducing Australia's carbon footprint.
7. Mining companies consistently demonstrate that while they are happy to mine the land, once it becomes non-profitable they do not help rebuild the land they have destroyed, ensure that no further damage will impact on surrounding land, and do not utilise the area to perhaps build renewable energy source equipment.
8. Why isn't the money invested into mining used to recycle existing building materials that have been from demolished buildings?

I OPPOSE THE MARTINS CREEK QUARRY EXPANSION

Please see attached.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry expansion!
I believe that the blasting technique used by Daracon sends microparticles into the atmosphere to be inhaled by those in the path of the plume.
Plumes of dust are visible immediately after blasting, but it is what I contend is "microdust" that is my main concern..
A form of silt sludge forms in the gutters on the eaves of my house, the particles passing through the finest "Gutter Guard" mesh.
My house is in an almost direct line over Martins Creek Primary School, to the blast site, thus exposing young children to the blasting dust.
close the bloody quarry completely would be my chosen option.

My wife and I moved to Duns Creek 26 years ago to escape the rat race. We moved because Duns Creek was quiet. The operative word here being "was."

There has always been truck movement on the road outside our house, but it has gotten way worse over the last couple of years.

We live right in the acceleration and air-brake zone. Now, by rights, there shouldn't be air-braking in a residential area, but that doesn't stop the cowboys [redacted content] and their great big trucks!

Seriously guys, you have the power to stop this quiet, rural area from becoming a thoroughfare for bulk haulage. You have the power to protect the rural amenity of this gorgeous area.

Please reject the expansion of Martins Creek Quarry. If you can't do it to protect the amenity of a rural residential area, find some other reason.

The quarry provides materials required in many of our projects and without the quarry, some of our projects would not be commercially viable and would not proceed resulting in a significant amount of job losess.

I have been employed at Daracon over 5 years, my partner 1.5 years and we have enjoyed the stable employment this company provides us and our colleagues. The Success of the quarry helps maintain the jobs of over 850 employees and over 1000 contractors and their families and the expansion of the quarry would help see this maintained.

* I have been employed with Daracon for X years and have enjoyed the stable employment it provides.
* Martins Creek Quarry is a big part of the organisation and supports many of the infrastructure jobs we undertake
* The Success of the quarry helps maintain the jobs of over 850 employees and over 1000 contractors and their families
* Daracon is a supporter of local communities and charities
* As a resident of the Hunter Valley, Daracon creates opportunities for people from many different backgrounds
* There are a lot of infrastructure projects in the Hunter. Limiting material supply may increase the cost of projects which the taxpayer is funding
* The construction industry relies on the Quarry as one of only a couple of hard rock suppliers in the region and if the Hunter Valley is to prosper and grow, Martins Creek Quarry will be required to provide the necessary materials for major infrastructure projects.
* The Quarry provides materials to many projects crucial to the growth and prosperity of the region: road construction, housing, railway construction and other public infrastructure.
* As a long term employee of Daracon I have been lucky enough to have been employed continuously through hard times, through the down turn in the mining industry and the GFC
* I also know of many projects outside of Daracon that also rely on the materials available from Martins Creek Quarry. I believe it is one of only 3 hard rock quarries of this kind in the region.
* I believe the Quarry plays an important part within not just the Daracon group but also in the supply to many projects within the Hunter Valley area and to numerous local businesses.
* The quarry provides materials required in many of our projects and without the quarry, some of our projects would not be commercially viable and would not proceed.
* For the region to grow at the rate we would like, and at a rate reported in the Hunter Regional Plan 2036, not only do we need to support local jobs but we also need to be able to service the demand of a growing population with the necessary construction materials.

See Attached Letter.

I am an employee of Daracon Group and the success of Martins Creek Quarry helps maintain the jobs of over 850 employees at Daracon. This doesn't include the 1000+ contractors, suppliers and families that also rely on Daracon for their livelihood.

Further to this, the quarry also provides materials that are necessary for many of the major infrastructure projects in the Hunter Valley Region; road construction, housing, railway, bridges. The Hunter Valley is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades and Martins Creek Quarry helps support this and has done for over a hundred years.

I have been employed with Daracon for 10 years. Martins Creek Quarry is an important part of the organisation and supports many of the infrastructure jobs we undertake. The quarry helps Daracon sustain the employment of over 850 people and over 1000 contractors & their families. There are a lot of infrastructure projects in the Hunter that have rely on the products from Martins Creek Quarry . Limiting material supply may increase the cost of projects (many of which are taxpayer funded) but will also likely make projects run longer & inconvenience people further eg: when road building. There are only 3 quarries that I"m aware of that produce hard rock in this area so the expansion of Martins Creek Quarry would be beneficial for both Daracon & the Hunter Valley by supporing future infrastructure projects including road construction, housing & railway construction just to name a few. Daracon has given me stable, continuous employment through some very difficult times during the GFC & the various coal mining down turns. I hope they receive the necessary approvals to continue their growth & support of the Hunter Valley people & communities in which they operate.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion
1. The constant pounding of the trucks on the road has effected our house so badly we have had to have it jacked up and repiered
2. Cracks in walls repaired.
3. Had to invest in double glazed windows and special hardy plank to ease the noise which hasn't really helped. So are now getting expensive roller shutters installed as well.
4. Lost hours of sleep due to early morning truck movement.
5.The disgusting state of the road from the truck movement has caused a missile to be ejected from a passing ute slaming into my car and cost me over $1000.00 in panel beating costs.
6.Windscreen damage on our cars.
7.The speed of some of these trucks in a 50 area is disgusting!
8.Straw camels back 9 month old grandson gets woken from his sleep from the noise of the trucks at times and that really is the last straw!!!!

I have been employed continuously with Daracon for almost 20 years and appreciate the stable work environment it provides. I genuinely feel that the expansion of Martins Creek quarry is essential for the ongoing viability of Daracon and the continued employment of over 850 local employees.

* I have been employed with Daracon for 9 years and have enjoyed the stable employment it provides.
* Martins Creek Quarry is a big part of the organisation and supports many of the infrastructure jobs we undertake
* The Success of the quarry helps maintain the jobs of over 850 employees and over 1000 contractors and their families
* Daracon is a supporter of local communities and charities
* As a resident of the Hunter Valley, Daracon creates opportunities for people from many different backgrounds
Daracon have always been a good corporate citizen

Submission is uploaded

I have been employed by the company for over 7 years and have seen the value the quarry has had not only to the provide job security for its employees but in helping the continued growth of the region and providing local jobs.

I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion.

This is a very small rural/farming area.

My main concern is the number of trucks on the road and the damage they occur to flora and fauna. It is dangerous when so many of these trucks are on the road in this area, as in 2014/2015. The trucks run over wildlife, ruin the roads, thereby ruining our tyres quicker which we have to replace earlier, so it costs us also. Many people try and overtake these big trucks, which then causes accidents.

Jennifer Long

the Quarry's success is important to the company as a whole
and the continued employment of over 800 people

I OPPOSE the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion
Application No. SSD-16_6612

- The roads through Bolwarra Heights, Tocal, Paterson and up to Martins Creek are struggling with current traffic load, and were never designed/built to handle the heavy traffic. There is no way the current road system can handle the increase in Truck Numbers proposed in the expansion. The degraded road conditions (pot holes etc) has impact on domestic car traffic.

- The main intersection /corner in Paterson (where Maitland Rd/Duke Street meets with King St) this 90 degree turn is not safe when a dual trailer truck is heading to the quarry, and there is a truck coming from the other direction and is at this turn at similar time.

- Residents and Visitors people traffic walking in Paterson shops area have limited safe locations to cross the road when there is high traffic volume of dual trailer trucks.

- The expanded hours that the Quarry wishes to operate should not be allowed. Again with the current volume of truck traffic, to have these trucks starting earlier and travelling later through the various residential areas on the main routes is not fair to the residents on these roads. Vibration and Noise of the trucks is impacting at times.

- Anytime council do roadworks to the damaged roads and there is excess of loose stones, the amount of stone spray to car vehicles is vastly increased - cracked and damaged windscreens is common. This tends to happen when the trucks are passing each other in opposite directions along the haul route, and the truck drifts to the edge of the road.

in support for all the associated people and businesses that rely on this project