By Oliver Lees
Moorabool council has endorsed plans for a sand quarry to be developed in Coimadai, despite vocal opposition to the project from parts of the community.
On Thursday, March 3, councillors heard from submitters before endorsing the mineral extraction site plan, which will be operated by Hanson Australia.
The item received a total of 67 objections from the community, who shared concerns over the proposed developments’ effect on local infrastructure, road safety and proximity to residential housing.
An effort to use the site on Seereys Road for extraction was first made on July 24 2017, but the application did not include the relevant Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
One submitter, who spoke to council at the meeting, shared their concerns about potentially increased “dangerous and hazardous” conditions on the roads surrounding the site, including Russells Road, McMullins Road and Gisborne Road.
“I raise safety concerns for all road users and the community,” the submitter said.
“I believe the recommendations do not go far enough to address the impacts this permit will create, and I hope you will consider what I have to say.”
Another submitter, who lives opposite the site location’s southern boundary with his wife and two young children, believes the application does not provide detailed explanation for operating so close to residential housing.
“We moved [to Moorabool] to escape the traffic, noise and pollution of suburban Melbourne,” the submitter said.
“Like many others in 2017, we became aware that our rural lifestyle property was next to an approved extractive industry site, who was now preparing to start extracting.
“Simply identifying the properties [surrounding the proposed site] without any supporting evidence or compelling reasons as to why appropriate buffers can’t be contained is woefully inadequate from the applicants.”
The site application presented to council had received the relevant approvals from the Environmental Protection Authority, the Department of Transport and the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
