The proposed Blue Hills Quarry is causing some concern among neighbouring residents about the noise pollution, dust impact and heavy truck traffic it will generate.

With potentially as many as 29,400 truck trips annually and approximately 120 round trips per day, the impact on the nearby residents, local roads, and potentially Victoria’s First Notable Town is significant.

The trucks will enter and exit the quarry through Stones Road and a private access road to Bridgewater-Maldon Road, with distribution expected to be 50 per cent northwest and 50 per cent southeast, adding fuel to the fire about further possible truck issues in Maldon.

Mawsons Concrete and Quarries, the project’s developer, has held public meetings but stated that they have intentionally only invited residents within a 5km radius of the proposed quarry to attend at this stage. Mawsons indicated that the meetings are communicated to these residents via the Baringhup Community Newsletter and a flyer drop.

But neighbouring property owner Justin Carey hasn’t received any flyers and wasn’t aware of the Baringhup Newsletter. New to the area, Justin was keen to get up to speed on the proposal and reach out to other impacted property owners. He requested the minutes of the community consultation meetings but has found it challenging to gain access to any information from the meeting process.

In correspondence with Mawsons, Justin was told that there are no minutes kept of the meetings.

“We do not have any meeting minutes. They are informal meetings designed to give an update on the project and to take on board any community concerns. They are targeted at residents and landholders within a 2km radius of the proposed quarry and 5km radius of the proposed access and are not intended for the general public,” Mawsons Resource Development Manager Cheryl Ward stated.

Justin then asked for a list of attendees so that he could personally reach out to them, only to be told that any record of invitees or attendees cannot be disclosed in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act. 

Given the gravity of the situation for the residents who will be most impacted, it seems inexplicable to Justin that no effort is made to adequately record the meetings. “Without minutes, it’s difficult to find out what issues or concerns have been raised and how they are being appropriately addressed,” said Justin.

Justin bought his property in late 2021, unaware it was adjacent to the proposed mine. With ambitions of turning his acreage into a small mixed farm offering biodynamic vegetables, fruit orchards and grazing livestock, that future is now in question.

Without knowing exactly how the quarry will impact the quality of water collected in tanks with regard to dust and potentially hazardous silica particles, he isn’t willing to proceed with the livestock plan at this stage.

Mawsons have clarified that concerns raised at the consultations are noted in a database, categorised and addressed through specialist studies required as part of the assessment and approval process. As noted in a list of concerns document, further anxieties from locals include property values, visual amenity, potential impacts on surface water and groundwater supply, ecology, fire and biosecurity. 

However, the document states that the status of the reviews into noise, surface water, groundwater, ecology, visual amenity and property values are deemed complete.

One such example states, ‘review of sale data for properties proximate to operating quarries indicates properties located more than 400m of a quarry or haul route have recorded no price impact,’ and with that, the issue is considered closed.

Neighbouring residents claim that assessment is unlikely to be accurate. 

Justin and others not wanting to be named at this time have begged the question as to why broader consultation is not already happening.

The company expects the quarry to reach full working capacity in about 10 years, with an expected life of 70-100 years.

A meeting slated for mid-April to take residents through the quarry application did not take place. Mawsons have stated that following the outcome of the referral application, a community information session will be held in Maldon.

For concerned quarry neighbours, that meeting might be too late.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 5 May 2023.