Close to 50 people crammed into the supper room at Baringhup Hall last Thursday 5 December to attend an information session about the proposed quarry at Blue Hills.

Staff from Mawsons Concrete and Quarries, the company behind the proposal, presented a slide show and answered community questions. The presentation broadly covered an overview of the planned project, its stages of implementation, the planned traffic routes and environmental impact. Reactions from attendees varied; some nearby residents made statements in favour of the quarry, while many others had questions that indicated concerns, some of which remain without comprehensive answers.

Proposed project

Mawsons Resource Development Manager Richard Toll explained that the proposed quarry would use 34ha of a 560ha property owned by Mawsons. He said the site holds a significant quantity of high-quality hornfels stone used by the construction industry and that there is an increasing demand for the stone in centres such as Bendigo and Ballarat. Mr Toll described a staged development and said the quarry pit was designed to sit between adjacent hills, which he said would provide a natural buffer for noise and dust while keeping the quarry screened from public view.

Transport planning

Mawsons estimates, at its peak, that the quarry will generate 60 trucks in and 60 truck loads out per day during its opening hours of 7am – 4pm, saying that there is demand for Blue Hills stone in all directions but many trucks will head to Bendigo and surrounds. Mawsons has developed a map of alternative truck routes around Maldon and acknowledged that some might head through Maldon town at 6am towards the quarry. Mawsons could only give a confident assurance of truck traffic through Maldon for trucks that are in its control (for example, its own trucks and contractors) and said that the only trucks through Baringhup would be those working locally. An attendee said that trucks collecting from the quarry will be looking for the quickest route; Managing Director John Mawson pointed out that restrictions on trucks through Maldon would affect all trucks. He said that the traffic issue is largely out of the company’s control but that it is possible to track and monitor its own trucks. When asked what proportion of trucks might be in the company’s control, an estimate of 70% was provided.

Environmental impacts

Mr Bull and Mr Toll explained that the aural and vibrational impacts of blasting are reduced by the use of modern technology, saying that the rock requires low level, controlled blasting and is highly regulated. The quarry would create very limited water runoff and no impact on the nearby creek, Mr Toll said, and existing waterways won’t be changed. He said any water captured by the pit would be minimal and it will be used for dust reduction using sumps and internal dams. In terms of rehabilitation, Mr Toll said the pit will become wetlands and the slopes will be redeveloped.

Next steps and community engagement

The next steps involve submissions under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for which documents will be required for public exhibition, plus an Environment Effects Statement (EES) at state level which requires a wide range of environmental, social and technical studies. During this submission stage, there is likely to be the opportunity for community engagement. An attendee asked if there would be a feedback loop, review or objection process once works at the quarry commenced and the response was that community members will be able to call the quarry manager.

Communicating with the community

There has not been clarity about how Mawsons intends to communicate to the community; initially only residents within a small radius of the proposed quarry were included. The Tarrangower Times has reported on this proposal for a number of years (see: Tarrangower Times 22 October 2021 and Tarrangower Times 21 July, 2023) and has expressed to Mawsons that the community would like to remain fully informed. Mawsons has promoted its community information sessions through the Baringhup News and with ads in the TT [Tarrangower Times] (the suggestion by Mawsons that there was an error with the recent ad is incorrect: Mawsons requested and paid for a single ad which ran in the Friday 22 November edition.) It seemed clear at the information session that community members still have questions and appreciated the chance to ask them, but Mawsons indicated there would not be any further information sessions and suggested checking the Mawsons website for updates.

Questions arising

A document titled ‘Common Questions’ was circulated, it has not had significant updates since the version linked below and dated August 2023. Yet there are new and evolving questions still to be answered. Some pertinent further questions might include:

• Can Mawsons undertake some predictive modelling of traffic in the nearby towns, such as Maldon, to demonstrate the extent of any change in existing traffic volumes?
• What will the water run-off contain and how does the quarry design avoid waterways and negative impacts on the ecosystem?
• Regarding dust and airborne pollutants; averages have been given but what will the dispersion look like at its worst?
• Who are the consultants who have worked on the environmental and cultural heritage studies?
• What has been found in relation to cultural and natural heritage? What may be lost if the quarry proceeds as currently planned? (DJAARA Aboriginal Corporation has been approached by the TT [Tarrangower Times] for comment on this matter).
• Various proximity studies available online suggest that a quarry may have an adverse affect on property value, despite Mawsons’ claim to the contrary. How can this be quantified in the case of residents near the proposed quarry? Does it matter and do landowners have any recourse?
• What opportunities for feedback or objection to the proposal will be available and how will the community learn of them?

In general, the community seeks to be informed of the ramifications of the proposed project in the hopes that losses can be reduced and negative outcomes for residents be avoided. Is Mawsons able to be flexible to respond to the concerns being raised and keep the community in the loop? For detailed information about the proposed plans, see here: tinyurl.com/yc8puzxr.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 13 December 2024.
Related stories: Blue Hills quarry update, Proposed Blue Hills quarry