The residents are awaiting further news on a proposal by South Coast Equipment (SCE) to build and operate an uncovered material handling facility at the corner of Old Port Rd and Christy Dr.

The plan was rejected by Wollongong City Council but SCE has taken it to the Land and Environment Court looking to overturn this decision.

The stockpiles would allow up to 500,000 tonnes of materials per year to be handled: up to 300,000 tonnes of blast furnace slag and 200,000 tonnes of gypsum.

The proposal has been amended form its original incarnation which wanted a million tonnes, as well as scrap metal and waste tyres.

Resident and environment campaigner Olive Rodwell said other industries nearby had built large warehouses, covering their stockpiles.

“The project put forward by SCE stands out as a giant step backwards by proposing a cheap and nasty process that belongs in the last century,” Ms Rodwell said.

“There is only one sustainable way to proceed in the future and that is to use best practice processes in new or expanded industrial developments. 

“Wollongong has come a long way in moving forward to a cleaner, healthier environment and we should not regress now.”

South Coast Equipment declined to comment while the case was before the Land and Environment Court.

The main environmental health concern from the stockpiles is the amount of fine particulate matter which would blow around the suburb on windy days. Fine particles are increasingly being recognised as dangerous air pollutants.

Chief among council’s reasons for rejecting the plan was that environmental laws required covered stockpiles.

It also found the likely environmental impacts of open stockpiles were significant, and could damage the amenity of the suburb. The development was therefore unsuitable and “not in the public interest”.

A court commissioner visited the site on August 19.

A hearing has been set for February 6 next year.