Martins Creek Quarry Project

Daracon is a large local civil engineering company who employs numerous local workers and contractors. They deliver to the economy vital infrastructure and much needed jobs, which in turn mean funds are returned to the local business community through local purchases.
we need to maintain and increase our ability to supply products that will meet the needs to improve our infrastructure so that our economy will continue to grow and create jobs.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I strongly oppose the Martin Creek Quarry Expansion for the following reasons:
Substantial increase in truck movements past my house and the resultant noise - the current movements begin to wake me at 5.30am as they head to the quarry as it is.
Absolutely ludicrous increase of up to 80 trucks per hour along a residential street!
Severe decline in quality of life for all home owners along the traffic route due to noise, dust and diesel fumes!
Local roads are already a joke when it comes to surface condition - imagine what this proposed increase in heavy vehicle traffic will do.
Destruction of 37 hectares of native vegetation for short-term commercial gain.
Increase in the likelihood of severe and fatal vehicle accidents with the proposed number of trucks along our street and surrounding roads.
Movements along Flat Road to the Melbourne Street intersection are already at peak congestion from 8.30am to 9.30am - the proposed increase will mean total grid lock back to Bolwarra and through Lorn - the only two passages over the Hunter River.
The community does not need or want such rampant expansion for the sake of commercial gain.

Please delete my personal information before publication.

I have not made a reportable political donation.

I am neither for, nor against. Honestly I don't know enough facts to have a say. What I do know though is I am not against it and want another resident of bolwarra's honest view submitted.
We had a fellow parent at the school and local resident speak at Bolwarra P&C meeting last night. Trying to get us all against the expansion with their ridiculous scare tactics.
What I can tell you is ive lived one house back from Paterson road for over 10 years. For six years now at 9am I have turned left into Paterson road from canna street to go to school every day. Then half the time back up Paterson road and half the time going right out of Bolwarra road to go towards east Maitland.
I at times sit at the end of canna street for 5 minutes at a time unable to make a simple left hand turn. I don't have to cross traffic just join it and it's u bearable. However in the six years it's definitely not trucks that are the issue. I might and that's only might see one once a week.
Eighty trucks an hour, increase, we were told. This is ridiculous scare tactics to get simple minded people against it who do t care to look at facts. I will be honest and I haven't. But I know loading an extra truck every 45 seconds on top of what they already do is not possible. Maybe extra heading out there of a morning yes but not every hour of the day.
I just wanted to make a submission to say as a long term Bolwarra resident (I grew up in Bolwarra also) I am not against the expansion. Traffic problems I see are due to the growth in the area in which most of the people in this area are part of.
Closer to the quary there may be other issues, which I can not comment on or can have no opinion on waits not affecting me and won't in any way. What I can say is while there I am sure will be extra trucks I don't believe this will affect me or my children. I do not fear extra trucks will impact on my children's safety or my short trip to school. Which I make using my car daily as I at that time of the morning and afternoon because of so many CARS on the road and general traffic I will not walk and cross Paterson road on foot. I may at times sit at the end of canna street or Bolwarra road longer but so be it. It's not going to affect my quality of life or sanity. I do at times already because some people simply can't drive.
Good luck with everything and I truely hope a few people who believe they might be inconvenienced don't mean jobs aren't created or some are lost

I have been employed with Daracon for over 10 years in many roles from Plant Operator to Contract Supervisor. I am extremely enthusiastic about our ability to work towards a sustainable future in this industry, and the ability to bring our kids through with a happy, safe, environmentally friendly work place to learn and grow and be successful. Martins Creek Quarry Project is a tremendous opportunity for employment. it also has a positive impact on all of the surrounding businesses through sales, repair work and infrastructure to grow the community and to expand employment at all stages of this project. Please make a difference and get on board. Thankyou.

Dear Sir/Madam , I oppose the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion because the number of trucks on our roads . The noise and traffic will be unbearable. Living near the school there is enough congestion morning and afternoon. What is wrong with the rail corridor which was designed for transport ? Enviroment issues are also a concern . Thank you .

* 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
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.

I object to the proposed application SSD_146612 being the proposed Expansion of Martins Creek Quarry.
I have attached two documents

File attachment 1 titled -14112016 Martins Creek Quarry Submission which is my detailed submission re the proposed expansion EIS.


File attachment 2 titled - Daracon submission which a copy of my comment submitted on the 26th August 2014.
Daracon submission

Regards Stephen Sneddon

A NIMBY I am not, aggregates must be sourced from somewhere.
Current extraction rates from the Martin's Creek Quarry can be tolerated by local residents.
However, I would view a several fold increase to 1.5m tons p.a. as being totally inappropriate for the local area.

The Boral resource at Italia Rd, Balickera and the Hunter Quarries resource at Karuah are good examples of where major aggregate quarries should be located in the Hunter region.
i.e. adjacent to major roads and distant from built up areas.

I oppose the expansion of Martins Creek Quarry primarily because the additional truck movements would create many problems. These include noise, congestion, safety issues & road degradation. In addition, property along the effected roads would be devalued many millions of dollars.
I strongly recommend that an independent expert be engaged to quantify the impact of such a devaluation to the owners and to the local councils.

Tomago Transport & Earthmoving Pty Ltd. supports the proposal to extend the Martins Creek Quarry.

I live approximately 3 kms from the quarry. The impact to my immediate quality of life is substantial. In 24 months,2014 to 2015, my vehicle sustained two smashed windscreens, both from gravel bounced off trucks as they exited the quarry. This has been reported to Daracon. It has also increased my insurance premiums. I have also met with the owner of Daracon at the quarry gates to report on the dangerous practice of trucks exiting the back gate without stopping for local traffic, many vehicles carrying children to school bus runs. Subsequently a 'Stop" sign was erected at this gate, however, it has only proven effective with truck drivers who feel inclined to obey it. I have also often been overtaken on the 80 km/hr stretch of road into Paterson by speeding quarry trucks, and also witnessed drivers who seem unaware that the use of an indicator is mandatory when turning. In other words, driving in the vicinity of Martins Creek/Paterson has become a scary activity with some of these rogue drivers. The other impacts personally have been dust and noise from the quarry. Some warm still summer days, on driving down the hill towards the valley where the quarry is situated is like driving into fog, as there is sometimes a thick layer of dust hanging in the air. I have experienced a bleeding nose when this is at its worst. Noise levels, even at the distance at which I live, are dreadful, especially in the still morning air - from first light the loud and disruptive crashes and bangs are quite disturbing, and I can only feel for the poor people who live closer. I will say that I have always found the quarry operators and the owner responsive to my many complaints, but they can only do so much, and it is the uncontrolled rogue drivers who are so dangerous and who have made life miserable for the residents of Martins Creek. As to the wider area, the quiet, community spirit of Paterson is going to be totally annihilated if the number of trucks driving through is allowed to be at the levels requested by Daracon. It is increasingly difficult to cross from the Post Office to the Café and Service Station now, with trucks frequently in convoys of three or more. The only solution is for the quarry products to be taken by rail, and for the quarry operation to be conducted within reasonable hours and with dust and noise constraints.

To whom it may concern,

Have you ever walked your dog or your children home from school on Paterson rd?
Have you juggled a toddler and 12 bags of groceries while swiftly directing a 5 yr old into the house because you moved to a suburb known for its schooling, lifestyle and view?

If your answer is no, then you should be also be objecting to this application of the expansion of the martin creek mine.

The impacts on our families health will be more then doubled.
Both of children suffer from asthma and more trucks and traffic mean more dust and the expansion means more air pollution.

This is not only speaking for our family but all of the effected areas.

This road is so close to a primary school which parents use Paterson rd to park and get their children to and from school.

numerous bus stops are along this strip, more trucks per hour will only make this a more dangerous area.

The road is not equipped enough to handle this amount of traffic, it can hardly handle the traffic as it is.
The turn off to bolwarra road is already a congested intersection, i hardly think the trucks would have enough time to brake especially when they are already doing more then 60km per hour they are suppose to do.

You will be decreasing our house values and in turn making our suburbs less appealing. We are a sought after suburb in the hunter and i can speak for everyone in this area, that we want to keep it that way. We have paid the price to move here, you can not decrease our value by trying to expand a mine.

Paterson road is a busy road, I live on it.
The amount of emergency services that utilise this road to attend incidents is huge, adding a significant amount of trucks per hour and more days will effect the services response time.
There is NO where for trucks to allow emergency to pass safety, NO where to stop if they break down and NOT enough room for two trucks to constantly be passing one another on this country road.

DO NOT EXPAND THE MINE

Uploaded.

Submission attached below.

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I have recently started working for Daracon directly at the Martins Creek Quarry in the capacity of Technical Services Supervisor. I have worked in the quarry industry for the past 7 years. In this time I have found the industry to be volatile and difficult to maintain steady employment. The rarity of this position makes Martins Creek Quarry extremely important to me, my family and the industry. At present I travel from the Central Coast for this role. The expansion will allow more jobs to be created and traineeships/apprentices to gain the necessary training required in this rigorous field.
Daracon employs over 800 people and Martins Creek Quarry provides materials to many of the projects that Daracon employees work on. Without this Quarry, our jobs are at risk.
I support the Martins Creek Quarry proposed expansion project and the security it provides to Daracon employees.

see attached

Please see attached letter

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