Boral has submitted plans to extend the life of its Dunmore quarry to 2043 and turn 7.65 hectares of endangered native vegetation into quarrying land.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The changes apply to the hard rock quarry at the Croome West pit which has been in operation for nearly 100 years and increase the approved extraction area by 10 per cent by adding a total of 7.8 hectares of land.
The new area adjoins is to the north of the current pit on the western side of the Princes Highway.
The proposal is separate to other plans Boral has to expand its sand and soil extraction activities near the Minnamurra River.
The state significant development proposal is currently on exhibition before a determination is made by the NSW and federal governments.
The plan would allow Boral to quarry additional latite, a material used in the production of cement and asphalt, after it found the material in its existing quarry footprint contained less high quality latite than initially expected.
The proposed extension would provide an additional 21 million tonnes of hard-rock reserves, enabling Boral to continue its quarry operations at the site for another 20 years at the current extraction rate.
A Boral spokesperson said it was critical to find new sources of latite for major infrastructure projects.
"The high-quality aggregate from Dunmore Quarry is used in asphalt design mixes at Sydney Airport and the future Western Sydney International Airport. Both of these airports specify South Coast basalt/latite in their runway and taxiway mix designs, highlighting the need for rock produced at Dunmore Quarry."
A report submitted as part of the modification application notes that the proposal would involve the destruction of 7.65 hectares of native vegetation and disturb endangered tall shrubland and the endangered Illawarra Zieria, meaning federal environmental approvals would be required for the project to go ahead.
Boral has proposed to offset impacts to native vegetation and threatened species by moving topsoil and threatened species to a proposed Dunmore Quarry habitat corridor to the west of the Croome West pit. This would involve revegetating a section of cleared land.
A spokesperson said this plan would increase the amount of vegetation in the region.
"Our proposal includes establishing an additional 34ha habitat corridor to link existing conservation areas we have established on the south of the landholding with native vegetation to the north.
"This habitat corridor will be planted with seedlings grown from seeds collected at Dunmore Quarry, ensuring a net benefit of various plant community types in the region.
"All aspects of the quarry's approved operations, such as production rate, transportation rate, quarrying methods and number of employees, remain unchanged."
In a report Boral highlights the need for latite as part of major infrastructure projects in the Illawarra and Sydney regions, including Western Sydney Airport. Boral notes that expansion of the Dunmore site is preferable to finding new quarry locations which would involve further displacement of native vegetation.
The continuation of quarrying approvals would also ensure that the 41 people employed by Boral at the site, as well as the 150 employees of contractors to the site, would remain in a job.
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.
