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Media Release - Minister's Office Sydney: 20 March 2006 20 MILLION TONNE BOOST TO SYDNEY'S SAND SUPPLY Planning Minister Frank Sartor today shored up the supply of sand for construction in Sydney by approving a sand and kaolin mine at Newnes Junction near Lithgow.
Over 20 million tonnes of construction sand will be extracted from the site over the next 21 years, providing up to one-fifth of Sydney’s annual 6.5 million tonne demand.
Mr Sartor said the development is adjacent to two existing sand quarries and a coal mine.
“This project will deliver an essential supply of building materials, allowing development and investment in the State’s future to proceed,” Mr Sartor said.
“It is expected to create ten new operational mine jobs and provide up to 1.3 million tonnes of sand and 120,000 tonnes of kaolin per year.
“This area has been an important source of sand since the 1970s and is crucial for our construction industry.”
The high-grade kaolin, which is a type of clay, will be used in the manufacture of paper, paint and plastic products.
Stringent conditions have been placed on the mine’s operation to protect the nearby Blue Mountains National Park, including a buffer zone and a water management system designed to capture run-off, even in a one-in-100 year storm.
Mined materials must be transported by rail and processed off site in Sydney to minimise impact on the local area, while quarry terraces must be landscaped to lessen visual impact.
The package also includes significant green compensation measures, such as: • The protection of at least 25 hectares of compensatory vegetation; • Assistance rehabilitating 864 hectares of Dargans Creek Crown Lands, and five hectares of Newnes Plateau Shrub Swampland.
Mr Sartor said he had secured a voluntary acquisition agreement to compensate six residences and a small number of undeveloped properties at Newnes Junction.
“Processing off-site was crucial to the application being approved, as was the requirement for a buffer zone and water management system,” Mr Sartor said.
“Although we have imposed stringent conditions to minimise any impact, residents can now be compensated if they feel their lives will be affected by the development.”
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