SSD 6395 - Bobs Farm Sand Mine Project

No sand mine!

I write to object strongly to this proposal. To allow a developer to
destroy pristine virgin forest to make a profit selling a product the
community neither wants nor needs is a sacrilege. This is particularly
galling when down the road at Nelson Bay they are clamouring for World
Heritage listing.
Being beside a school is a serious concern. It will be the death knell
for Bobs Farm Public School as parents will not be happy with the
constant noise, pollution and safety risks their children will have to
endure and they will be taking them away in droves.
Hunter Water Board has publicly stated their concerns regarding the
effect upon the water table when the developer intends drilling to 15
metres.
I fi d the idea of a constant stream of trucks having to ferry heavy
loads all the way to the Anna. y roundabout to turn around untenable.
This will destroy our roads, add to congestion and pose an added
safety risk for drivers.
We already have two newly opened sand mi es in Port Stephens. We
neither want nor need more, especially when the consequences for the
locals are all detrimental. I cannot see that we will benefit in any
way. Please consider our needs above those of the developer, whose
sole concern is a mercenary one.

I would like to voice my sincere concerns in regards to the proposed sand
mine at Bob's Farm for the following (main) reasons:
- Safety of my children who attend Bob's Farm Public School, increased
truck activity directly outside the school, air pollution and noise
pollution directly impacting their learning and health
- Risk of carcinogenic airborne pollution from silica dust caused from
the mine directly next to the children's school will mean we will have
no choice but remove our children from their beloved school, causing
undue stress and disruption or risk their health (which we will not
gamble with)
- future water, the destruction of ancient sand dunes and the
underground layers of ancient sand which hold the water as it
percolates to the aquifer below. Locals rely on the underground water
for their livelihoods, this mine will destroy these dunes and sand
layers that will never be able to be recovered
- one truck every 2-3 minutes RIGHT NEXT to a primary school, not to
mention the rich animal life that are already at risk from cars
passing by (baby peacocks, birds, koalas, lizards), cars can at least
stop/swerve/slow down to avoid fatalities, trucks can not. It is
inevitable a fatality will occur if this sand mine goes ahead
- NO LOCALS support this mine, it will see the school closed, teachers
loose their jobs, local businesses at risk of carcinogenic overflow
from silica dust on water and air quality, homes, farms and
livelihoods ruined.
- irreparable damage to the plant and animal biodiversity in the
wildlife corridor that is proposed to be cleared.
- the site is classed as supplementary koala habitat under the Port
Stephens Council Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management
- threatened fauna, including squirrel gliders, several threatened bat
species, koalas, brush tale phasocogales and tiger quills habitats
- economic loss to the local community
- further impact on port Stephens waterways and industries

Sand dunes are entirely mobile structures, they do not host forests or
lakes, these are entirely inappropriate for a sand dune system. The
lakes are only an indication that the proponents of the sand mine plan
to mine into the groundwater (an essential non renewable resource), or
to a point below sea level, undermining the dune system (and likely
also impacting on the groundwater).This will weaken the natural
integrity of the dunes to an unacceptable level and will affect
everyone who lives on this peninsula.

Sand is not a renewable resource, once it becomes glass or concrete
that's that, its gone and will take thousands of years to recover - if
ever.

We fear for the future and health of the local residents and occupants
of the Bobs Farm School who will be constantly disturbed by laden
trucks passing in close proximity for the next 15 years. We are
concerned by the noise and dust that will be generated by such action.

This will take a toll on the road system which is already being
destroyed by heavy vehicle traffic.

I am a local resident in Bobs Farm and my children attend Bobs Farm
Public School.
I object to the Bobs Farm Sand mine application.
My main concerns are;
1. Silicosis. As a parent with students at Bobs Farm Public school and
as a resident of Bob Farm within 5km of the proposed mine site this is
my biggest worry.
2. Class disruption. According to my children's teacher, the
classrooms already shake when a bus goes past the school. I can only
imagine the disruption to my children's learning (and therefore
futures) if the submission is approved which will allow an average of
180 trucks per day to travel along side the school and exit onto Marsh
Rd.
3. Water table. I find it hard to believe that dredging of the sand
15m below the water table will not affect neighboring properties,
including mine.
4. Extra traffic. There are already enough trucks on the road. But I
also wonder who is going to police the trucks to make sure that they
follow the proposed exit route. We all know truckies schedules are
tight. Who is going to make sure they go right onto Marsh Rd and then
left onto Nelson Bay Rd and up to the round about at Port Stephens
Drive. What (or who) is going to stop them exiting left out of the
mine onto Marsh Rd, or even turning right from Marsh Rd (eastern end)
onto Nelson Bay Rd.
5. Excess dust (whether carcinogenic or not).
6. The 24 Ha void that will be left. What use will that be to anyone.
7. There is already more than enough sand mines in the area.
8. Endangered species (fauna and flora) whose habitat will be
destroyed.
In summary, it doesn't seem that the proposed application would be
beneficial to the suburb of Bobs Farm at all.

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au

Dear Sir or Madam,

I wish to express my deep concern at the current proposal to allow a
substantial upgrade of mining activity at the sand mine located at
Bobs Farm, Port Stephens NSW.

The issues of reduced air quality and increased truck movements are
potentially hazardous to the health of everyone in the area, both
permanent residents & visitors to the port.

But the proposal to clear-fell and denude an area of over 36 hectares
of native vegetation, and consequently destroy its native wildlife, is
unconscionable!
Many rare and threatened species of flora & fauna inhabit this area as
the proposal itself makes clear.
They are asking that you sanction the destruction of Old-man Banksias,
tiger quolls, masked owls, koalas etc.. please! Talk of "Bio-banking"
in a different location and efforts to "minimise" effects on wildlife
by leaving fragments of the natural environment at the property's
margins, demonstrates an appalling scorched earth approach.
The environment impact study concedes that there will certainly be
many deaths & losses, with the lukewarm assurance that some species
could possibly survive by moving locations.

Furthermore, proposing to mine up to 15metres below the sandy water
table, appears to be a reckless endangerment to everything living in
the surrounding areas.
This region is already struggling with intractable PFAS water
contamination from the nearby Williamtown RAAF base, & asking us all
to cross our fingers and hope that an industrial landholder won't
damage our water table, seems very unprofessional.
If negative consequences arise, it will likely fall on the
taxpayer/ratepayer to again fund remediations.
Thankyou for reading,
Yours Sincerely
Deborah Sinclair


Sent from my iPad

Not in the best interest for everyone. Stop selling our land off.

Please take a moment to fill in a submission to object this sand mine! I
know it's getting late so feel free to copy any of my comment below if
it's easier to put in the comment section to make the submission
quicker- submissions need to be in before Friday
---
I would like to voice my sincere concerns in regards to the proposed
sand mine at Bob's Farm for the following (main) reasons:
- Safety of my children who attend Bob's Farm Public School, increased
truck activity directly outside the school, air pollution and noise
pollution directly impacting their learning and health
- Risk of carcinogenic airborne pollution from silica dust caused from
the mine directly next to the children's school will mean we will have
no choice but remove our children from their beloved school, causing
undue stress and disruption or risk their health (which we will not
gamble with)
- future water, the destruction of ancient sand dunes and the
underground layers of ancient sand which hold the water as it
percolates to the aquifer below. Locals rely on the underground water
for their livelihoods, this mine will destroy these dunes and sand
layers that will never be able to be recovered
- one truck every 2-3 minutes RIGHT NEXT to a primary school, not to
mention the rich animal life that are already at risk from cars
passing by (baby peacocks, birds, koalas, lizards), cars can at least
stop/swerve/slow down to avoid fatalities, trucks can not. It is
inevitable a fatality will occur if this sand mine goes ahead
- NO LOCALS support this mine, it will see the school closed, teachers
loose their jobs, local businesses at risk of carcinogenic overflow
from silica dust on water and air quality, homes, farms and
livelihoods ruined.
- irreparable damage to the plant and animal biodiversity in the
wildlife corridor that is proposed to be cleared.
- the site is classed as supplementary koala habitat under the Port
Stephens Council Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management
- threatened fauna, including squirrel gliders, several threatened bat
species, koalas, brush tale phasocogales and tiger quills habitats
- economic loss to the local community
- further impact on port Stephens waterways and industries
---

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=6395&fbclid=IwAR1-a1vLhPf8l89VM3V2YjaqzaGO_Xlf7lD6p8tSIfo3oBG2WFpjmo0eHcM

Dave Murray Gennifer Anderson Rosemary Murray

This proposal enriches a small group from Sydney for sand mining revenues
for about 10 years, but will permanently damage the ecology and
environment at Port Stephens. It will remove 34 hectares of important
bush land and leave a massive brine water filled lake. It will
increase the danger to a variety of endangered wildlife and plants. It
will add 1 extra Sand haulage Truck every 3 minutes to Nelson Bay Road
in the busy section from Port Stephens Drive to WIlliamtown, a busy
commuter route and tourist access route which already carries large
volumes of Sand Mine trucks from other Sand Mines in this road at Anna
Bay, Salt Ash and McKenzies (Macca's) Sand Mine. The traffic study in
the EIS is outdated based on 2014 data. Since then developments have
increased local traffic volumes with att least 3 over 55 retirement
villages created 2 of which are being built now on Nelson Bay Road.
This project will not enrich Nelson Bay, creating few local jobs and
creating major long term detriment to the area and the environment.
The original Olive Farm Site was reluctantly approved for 1.4
hectares, and illegal land clearing increased that to 4.8 hectares. It
now occupies over 9 cleared hectares. Why should these land owners
benefit from a further plan to add local insult to local injury by
quadrupling the cleared area to over 30 hectares when their original
approval was specifically limited to 1.4 and then blatantly increased
to over 5 times that area? This is a very port proposal for limited
economic benefit and inflicts permanent damage to our environment and
significant increase in heavy traffic on our main arterial road. It
was rejected before and this latest proposal offers no genuine
improvement or increased benefit. I object very strongly to this poor
proposal and ask it be rejected to prevent the damage it will inflict
on our community and environment. We can't preserve endangered species
if we keep removing their habitat on the weak excuse that local
extinction is unlikely - endangered species need relief from
extinction pressures not increased pressure!

To each person that is making the judgement for this sand mine to go
ahead... ask yourself honestly.... would you like to be the neighbour
on the adjoining property? Your answer would be NO.

Just because it is not next door to you doesn't mean that it is okay
to do this to other people that you are paid to represent and protect
from environmental disasters. And this sand mine will be an
environmental disaster.

Surely we have become more mature about destroying the environment,
the wildlife that live on the land as well as protecting the health of
local residents. Surely the Red Zone problem has highlighted this.

Who will the sand mind benefit? Only the person who owns the sand
mining company.

On the other hand.... The Eco Cabin Project approved for the adjoining
property would provide ongoing jobs for the local community, both
through housekeeping, catering and the construction etc. There would
also be a benefit for the tourism industry as the guests to these
cabins will be spending money with the community businesses.

Please don't make this another dumb and questionable decision that
will be regretted forever.

The additional trucks on the road increase the dangers to every other
person that travels on that road whether local or visitor.

Tourists vital to many peoples income often do not know the roads and
drive in a manner of unpredictability, combined with many trucks is a
recipe for a potential fatality on the roads. If this is approved
despite obvious objection the people who approve it need to understand
a fatality involving a truck resulted from their decision.

If this is approved the road speed limits will most likely be reduced
as a move to demonstrate that the decision makers care but this will
effect many people who travel that stretch of road every day to and
from work for the benefit of one sand mine.

The effect on the environment is unclear but no doubt will be negative
that future generations will inherit. All for the benefit of a few
people. It is time the Government looked beyond their term in office.

I have concerns when an organisation like Hunter Water opposes the
proposal.
This project should not proceed without Hunter Water agreement.

The area does not need anymore heavy vehicles or sand mining.

I am opposed to the proposed Sand Mine in Bob's Farm for all the reasons
stated by Port Stephens Council and Hunter Water.

This sand mine will see:
180 more trucks on Nelson Bay Rd, everyday.
36.1 hectares of land cleared
Threaten species and feeding habitat cleard.
10 million tonnes of sand removed from ancient sand dunes.
Sand excavated to 15 metres below the water table.
A 24.5 void/dam left afterwards threatening schools, homes and
proprietary.
Increased health and air quality issues.
I object to this sand mine.

Hunter Water think this mine will endanger the aquifer. Water is too
precious to risk.

There is a potential eco cabin development next door which will be put
at risk.

Has the PFAS status of the site been established? I believe the edge
of the red zone borders the mine site. If this sand is contaminated it
will be spreading it everywhere the sand goes. I could find no mention
of this in the documents.

Finally this is precious and rapidly disappearing wildlife habitat.

For any one of these reasons the mine should not go ahead.

This I proposed sans mining s outrageous, it affects school children the
nearby school with noise and pollution. It also puts even more strain
on Nelson Bay Road, traffic already horrendous.

The Director,
Resource Assessments,
Planning and Environment
GPO Box 39 Sydney NSW 2001

Attention: Melissa Anderson
Via email: [email protected]
Application No SSD 6395
3631 Nelson Bay Road, Bobs Farm
Bobs Farm Sand Mine Project
28th January, 2019

Dear Ms Anderson,
The Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Community Group was formed in 2017 when a DA
was lodged to build on a 5.6h section of Mambo Wetlands in Salamander
Bay, that had been sold to a developer in 2016 by the NSW Education
Department. It contained rare flora and fauna species including the
koala. Through our advocacy to have this land returned to public
ownership, we have realized just how fragile our local environment is
and we are determined to support the protection and maintenance of
habitat in Port Stephens. With this in mind we submit the following in
opposition to the proposed Sand Mine at Bobs Farm.
Within the Development Application the site is described by Wildthing
documentation in the following terms:
The study area forms part of a significant ecological corridor that
runs down the coast from the
Tomago Sandbeds in the south along the Stockton Bight to the Tomaree
Peninsula in the north. The
ecological corridor occurring along Stockton Bight is restricted by
the bare shifting sand dunes to the
east and largely cleared agricultural land to the west. The Lower
Hunter Regional Strategy (Planning
2006) identifies this area as part of a key green corridor linking
large vegetated areas, allowing the
movement and dispersal of biodiversity within the region. This
corridor links the Watagans and
Yengo National Parks with the coastal plains of the Tomago Sand beds,
Stockton Bight and Port
Stephens. The Lower Hunter and Central Coast Regional Biodiversity
Conservation Strategy (House,
2003) also identifies the Coastal Sand Apple - Blackbutt Forest
occurring along the Stockton Bight
dune system as a regionally significant habitat linkage. The Hunter
Regional Plan 2036 (NSW
Government, 2016) also shows the site to occur within a Biodiversity
Corridor.
The fragment of vegetation that the study area is situated has also
been mapped as a key habitat
(NPWS 2002). Key habitats define areas identified as centres of high
native species diversity for a
range of fauna assemblages (NPWS 2002). The proposal will result in
the removal of approximately
25.90ha of key habitat largely consisting of Coastal Sand Apple
Blackbutt Forest from the north-east
section of the corridor. The section of the corridor where the study
area is located is approximately
1.5km wide. (1)
This describes a significant ecological corridor site that Planning
NSW has identified as part of a key green corridor linking large
vegetated areas, allowing the movement and dispersal of biodiversity.
The Lower Hunter and Central Coast Regional Biodiversity Conservation
Strategy describes the forests occurring here as a regionally
significant habitat linkage. The area occurs within a Biodiversity
Corridor and is identified as a key habitat.

Despite these descriptors of an ecologically significant area within a
biodiversity corridor, this proposed sand mine development at Bob's
Farm is yet another example of habitat vs profit. The NSW State
government is unable to protect and defend our unique and fragile
environment. The government has in fact introduced legislation for
koala protection which in practice, does the exact opposite. Documents
obtained by the North Coast Environment Council and the National Parks
Association, under Freedom of Information Legislation show that the
government's proposed koala reserves fail to overlap with the location
of koala populations. The NSW government is ignoring expert advice
from one of its departments which found only 0.2 per cent of actual
koala habitats are included in the reserves earmarked by government.
Senior ecologist with the National Parks Association of NSW, Dr Oisín
Sweeney, said the findings are distressing. "This analysis shows that
unless the government starts taking koala protection seriously, we're
going to see the large-scale wipe-out of koala colonies in NSW," he
said. "The government's strategy has reserves with no koalas. That's
not going to work. To protect koalas, we need to protect where they
live, as well as protecting habitat to connect the colonies."(2)
The documents also show that only 14 per cent of the state's koala
habitats are protected. Logging, land clearing and development put 86
per cent of koala habitats at risk, located as they are on private
land and state forests. The World Wildlife Fund estimates koalas face
extinction in NSW by 2050 due to land clearing. In a report released
earlier this month, the WWF used satellite imagery to show bulldozing
rates of koala habitats have tripled since August 2017 when the
state's Native Vegetation Act was repealed.
"WWF-Australia estimates there are likely less than 20,000 koalas left
in NSW and at the current rate, they are on track to be extinct in the
state by as early as 2050," WWF-Australia conservationist Stuart
Blanch said. "We have to stop this excessive tree-clearing if we want
to keep koalas alive in the wild for future generations."(2)
The Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group believes that NSW
government legislation to protect koalas is inadequate and misguided.
We don't believe that koala habitat is secure in much of NSW so the
preservation of areas such as that at Bobs Farm are essential for the
preservation of koalas into the future.
Port Stephens Council has acknowledged the inadequacy of the
environmental assessment for the Bob's Farm Sand mine. PS Council in
their submission state:
P1 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
A significant amount of inconsistencies and inadequacies were noted
throughout the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (Tattersall Lander
2018) and Biodiversity Assessment (Wildthing 2018) in relation to
biodiversity values for the proposed development. These include:
1. Incorrect threat listing status applied to EPBC Act listed species
resulting in incorrect assessments of significance i.e. Koala (listed
as Vulnerable, EPBC Act) has been assessed as Endangered under EPBC
significant impact criteria and Tiger Quoll (Endangered, EPBC Act) has
been assessed under Vulnerable species criteria.
2. Failure to assess the likelihood of occurrence and potential
impacts on the threatened Greater Glider, which is predicted to occur
within the locality.
P2 .......the biodiversity assessment is considered inadequate to
determine the potential impacts of the proposal on threatened species
and their habitats.
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The proposal site contains preferred
and supplementary Koala habitat. However, Spot Assessment Technique
(SAT) surveys were not conducted for Koala.
P3.
Inconsistent and unclear reporting of Koala habitat buffer zones to be
established. Section 14.23 of the EIS reports that "a 50m buffer over
supplementary habitat would also need to be put in place around areas
of Preferred Koala Habitat" (i.e. the area of Swamp Sclerophyll Forest
in the North west of the proposal area), however, site plans and
Sections 14.13, 14.16 only report a 15 metre buffer to be retained
around the area of Swamp Sclerophyll Forest.(3)

While Port Stephens Council expresses concern about assessments
contained in the application, the Wildthing Ecological Report itself
contains damning statistics. A total of 1217 habitat (hollow-bearing)
trees were identified within the study area as a result of a
hollow-bearing tree survey. The vast majority of hollow-bearing trees
were present within Smoothbarked Apple - Blackbutt - Old Man Banksia
woodland on coastal sands assemblage. Many of these trees were
considered to be significant as a result of their very large size as
well as the variety and number of hollows they contained. Hollows were
available for roosting or nesting avifauna species, arboreal mammals,
reptiles and tree roosting microchiropteran bat species. (4)
Of these 1217 hollow bearing trees, 877 will be cut down to make way
for a sand mine. The map indicating these trees, (see below), is very
confronting. The assessment concludes ... The loss of hollow-bearing
trees is a Key Threatening Process under Schedule 3 of the TSC Act
1995. The removal of 877 hollow-bearing trees would be a significant
loss of this resource in the local area.
P64 Wildthing Biodiversity Assessment Report 1217 habitat trees
indicated by

In conclusion, Wildthing Ecological Report lists the likely impacts of
the Sand mine development:
The proposed Sand Mine will result in the following direct and
potential impacts or losses:
* Approximately 25.90ha of Coastal Sand Smooth-barked Apple Blackbutt
Forest;
* Approximately 9.5ha of Orchard;
* Approximately 25.90ha of Supplementary Koala Habitat;
* Approximately 25.90ha of known habitat for ten affected threatened
fauna species;
Glossopsitta pusilla (Little Lorikeet), Ninox strenua (Powerful Owl),
Haliaeetus leucogaster
(White-bellied Sea Eagle), Petaurus norfolcensis (Squirrel Glider),
Scoteanax rueppellii
(Greater Broad-nosed Bat), Falsistrellus tasmaniensis (Eastern
Falsistrelle), Miniopterus
australis (Little Bentwing-bat), Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis
(Large Bentwing-bat),
Phascolarctos cinereus (Koala) and Pteropus poliocephalus (Grey-headed
Flying-fox);
* Suitable habitat for a number of additional threatened and other
flora and fauna species likely
to utilise the study area;
* Approximately 877 hollow-bearing trees;
* Habitat Fragmentation;
* Injury/Mortality to native fauna during felling of trees.(5)

The destruction of 25.9ha of known habitat for threatened fauna
species, including the bulldozing of 877 hollow-bearing trees, is
unacceptable. In the past year we have seen fires destroy or threaten
koala habitat in Williamtown, Lemon Tree Passage, Anna Bay and Mambo
Reserve, all within the Port Stephens local government area. Wildthing
Ecological Report, (Appendix E, A17), acknowledges the increased
intensity of bushfires due to climate change. Port Stephens Council
and Port Stephens Koalas, who operate the koala hospital at One Mile
Beach, are very aware that the area's koala hubs are under very real
threat. The connecting wildlife corridors between these hubs are under
continual pressure from development and we cannot simply hope that the
wildlife threatened by the development at Bobs Farm will move on to
nearby forests and reserves when so much of it is also under threat
already from man made and naturally occurring encroachments on
habitat. The koala population in Port Stephens has suffered a decline
of 20% in recent years and overall the population in NSW is threatened
with extinction by 2050. (World Wildlife Fund, 2018)
For these reasons we ask that this development proposal be refused.
Our unique wildlife has no voice except from those who understand that
habitat is key to their survival. We have to stop somewhere. We can't
continue to believe that animals will simply move on to nearby forests
and homes. Eventually we will simply run out of safe places for them.

While our group is concerned with the loss of habitat as a result of
this proposal, we also add the following. We are concerned:
* For the health of the local residents who will have their previously
peaceful rural existence destroyed by noise and air pollution
* About the longevity of Bobs Farm School where the students and staff
will be constantly disturbed by laden trucks passing in close
proximity for the next 15 years. Enrolments will soon decline if this
development proceeds.
* About the road and traffic safety on March Road and Nelson Bay Road
which already has to cope with a high level of heavy vehicular
traffic.
* That this development is not in the public interest and has
generated widespread condemnation in the Bobs Farm and wider Port
Stephens community
* That extraction below the water table has not been allowed in other
developments including sand mining, in this area.
* That the development of a lake with evaporation of 90 million litres
of fresh water per year is not sound environmentally. Fresh drinking
water is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity.

The Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group is apolitical and does not
donate money to political groups.

Yours sincerely,
Kathy Brown
Secretary
Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group





References
1. P65 Wildthing Ecological Report 6.2.3 HABITAT FRAGMENTATION &
CORRIDORS
2. SBS News. 28 Sept, 2018. NSW government failing to protect koalas
by ignoring expert advice: Environmentalists, written by Biwa Kwan
3. Submission from Port Stephens Council re Bob's Farm Sand mine
4. P4,5 Wildthing Ecological Report
5. P5 Wildthing Ecological Report

I object to the above development application on the following grounds.
* The land on which this development is to take place was allegedly
cleared illegally for its current use.
* The proximity of the development to residential properties and the
school all will be adversely affected by heavy traffic, noise and
dust.
* I have major concerns regarding road safety. The addition of large
numbers of heavy trucks using the main road into and out of Nelson
Bay. I understand the trucks departing the site would not be permitted
to right turn out of Marsh Road and will be required to travel to the
roundabout at the end of Port Stephens Drive were they would be
required to do a U turn. This mauver will coincide with other heavy
vehicles joining the main Road at this point from an existing sand
extraction development which has applied for expansion. Truck will
also be using single lane roads in the William Town area were large
numbers of truck already join this road from another sand extraction
development.
* I have concerns with any mining operations so close to Tilligerry
Creek which affects the water table which could pose potential threats
to homes and businesses using ground water. Disturbance of ground
water could well have adverse effects on the Great Lakes-Port Stephens
Marine Park a large tourist draw to the area.
* This project would involve further loss of valuable fauna habitat
and other environmental damage continuing well after the end of mining
operations.
I ask that this application be refused.

State Significant Development Application No SSD 6395
Bobs Farm Quarry - Sand Mine Project
I object to the above development application on the following
grounds.
* The land on which this development is to take place was allegedly
cleared illegally for its current use.
* The proximity of the development to residential properties and the
school all will be adversely affected by heavy traffic, noise and
dust.
* I have major concerns regarding road safety. The addition of large
numbers of heavy trucks using the main road into and out of Nelson
Bay. I understand the trucks departing the site would not be permitted
to right turn out of Marsh Road and will be required to travel to the
roundabout at the end of Port Stephens Drive were they would be
required to do a U turn. This mauver will coincide with other heavy
vehicles joining the main Road at this point from an existing sand
extraction development which has applied for expansion. Truck will
also be using single lane roads in the William Town area were large
numbers of truck already join this road from another sand extraction
development.
* I have concerns with any mining operations so close to Tilligerry
Creek which affects the water table which could pose potential threats
to homes and businesses using ground water. Disturbance of ground
water could well have adverse effects on the Great Lakes-Port Stephens
Marine Park a large tourist draw to the area.
* This project would involve further loss of valuable fauna habitat
and other environmental damage continuing well after the end of mining
operations.
I ask that this application be refused.