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Media Releases |
Media Release - Minister's Office Sydney: 02 October, 2009 QUARRY GETS APPROVAL AFTER THOROUGH AND RIGOROUS ASSESSMENT NSW Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally, today announced approval for the creation of a sand and hard rock quarry near Bungonia in the Southern Highlands. Ms Keneally said the new quarry had undergone a thorough and rigorous assessment process before receiving approval. "As well as having the independent Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) review the proposal I toured the area with local residents to see first hand the potential impact any quarry would have," Ms Keneally said. "After the proposal was assessed by the Department of Planning, the PAC reviewed the proposal and the assessment. "The PAC also conducted a site visit and public meeting and concluded that the Department had done a thorough job in assessing the application and agreed the project be approved with conditions." Ms Keneally said one of the conditions of approval was that the quarry´s transport route be fully upgraded ensuring trucks do not travel through the Bungonia village. "Multiquip are required to construct a private road to bypass Bungonia, as well as upgrade 20 kilometres of public road connecting the quarry to the Hume Highway," Ms Keneally said. "After the rejection of a previous proposal from Multiquip in 2005, we have listened closely to the views of the local community and imposed strict conditions on this approval. "The previous proposal included a transport route for trucks through Bungonia Village to the Hume Highway, now as a condition of approval a road bypassing Bungonia will be constructed. "This new road will only be accessed by Multiquip vehicles via automatic gates and will ensure that all truck movements bypass the village increasing safety for the community." Ms Keneally said other conditions of approval included requiring Multiquip to:
"Given the potential traffic impacts of the proposal, the Department of Planning commissioned an independent traffic expert to review the proposal," Ms Keneally said. "All of the recommendations made in the expert review have been adopted as conditions of approval. Ms Keneally said the Ardmore Park quarry would supply 15.2 million tonnes of sand and basalt to the building and construction industry in Sydney, Canberra and Goulburn areas over a 30 year period. "There is an ongoing need to provide for a growing demand for sand and hard rock," Ms Keneally said. "The Penrith Lakes Scheme, which supplies around 25 per cent of the region´s sand, is currently winding down and so is Sydney´s other sand resource, the Kurnell Peninsula. "This project will provide an employment and economic boost to the region as well as increase the available supply of hard rock, and in particular sand, to the industry. "And, thanks to the thorough and rigorous assessment process, this employment and economic boost will be accompanied by the protection of the local amenity and environment." Ms Keneally said the $7 million project was consistent with the State Plan and the Sydney-Canberra Corridor Regional Strategy, helping to create some of the 28,000 jobs required in the period to 2031. IMPORTANT STATEMENT ABOUT POLITICAL DONATIONS New political donation disclosure laws came into effect in 2008 imposing obligations on applicants making applications for project approval to the Minister for Planning from 1 October 2008 to disclose all reportable political donations (if any) made by anyone with a financial interest in the application within the period commencing two years before the application is made and ending when the application is determined. More information on these obligations is available at
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