Oxenford quarry future: Councillors split on expansion after area councillor William Owen-Jones backs resident protest

Council has sensationally split on expanding the Oxenford quarry after a marathon debate at a planning committee meeting. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT >>>

THE Oxenford quarry is on track to be expanded despite a sensational split vote by councillors following a marathon debate at the planning committee.

Council officers had recommended a “part-approval part refusal” of the application which had sparked a protest in the northern suburbs of Pacific Pines and Riverstone Crossing.

But area councillor William Owen-Jones after more than an hour of debate and in a lengthy address reading from three-page speech notes, strongly argued to colleagues that the application should be rejected.

Councillor William Owen-Jones — supporting residents who want to stop a quarry. Picture Glenn Hampson.

“In my view time has caught up on the future of this site for extractive industry. The Gold Coast is not a mining city. If you want to a mine, move next to a suburb in Mount Isa, because I think that’s the place for you,” Cr Owen-Jones said.

The vote to stop the quarry expansion – the current operation has a lease until early next year – was 3-3.

Planning chair Cameron Caldwell used his casting vote to support the application, adding that he was following tradition in such circumstances by supporting the officer’s recommendation.

Councillors supporting Cr Owen-Jones included Cr Peter Young, Cr Hermann Vorster and Cr Mark Hammel. But Cr Young could not vote at the committee meeting.

Cr Caldwell, Cr Pauline Young and Cr Gail O’Neill voted against. Cr Brooke Patterson also did not vote but at the meeting indicated she supported the officer’s findings.

The division within council ranks sets up for close final vote which will occur at full council next Tuesday.

Cr Owen-Jones said he had letter boxed about 900 homes around the quarry and council had received more than 580 submissions since the application first surfaced in 2019.

“I think we have a responsibility to see their genuine concerns be considered,” he said.

Cr Owen-Jones said the buffers around the quarry expansion were not sufficient given upgraded State Government planning since the first lease was approved, and the operation needed to be constrained rather than expanded.

“We have to be really careful regarding depth,” he said, noting that the pit would be dug to a 100m depth through various stages.

“I find that extraordinary,” he said.

The operation in 2013 was given a life expectancy of 30 to 40 years but now was seeking a 60-year plus operation digging below ground level, which the community did not expect.

“They don’t quite get to China but they gave it a good nudge,” Cr Owen-Jones said.

Colleague Peter Young, who arrived at the meeting intending to support the officer’s recommendation, changed his position on the strength of Cr Owen-Jones’ address to council.

“I’m very supportive and I congratulate him for the earnest way in which he has approached this, a very difficult and controversial proposal which has attracted a lot of concern from the community,” he said.

“Cr Owen-Jones has been the subject of some unwarranted personal attacks publicly – I’m not here to defend him but I certainly congratulate him on rising above that and seeing his way to listen to the body of interest and concern from the broad community.”

He believed most of the submissions from residents were “heartfelt and genuine”.

Cr Mark Hammel urged colleagues to “back Cr Owen-Jones” at full council.

Southern-based Councillor Gail O’Neill admitted she was “torn” but had to back the officers in their recommendation. Her southern colleague Pauline Young took a similar position.

“I must be guided by the officers who did a fantastic report,” Cr O’Neill said.

Cr Cameron Caldwell supported the officer’s recommendation, noting the quarry provided 10 per cent of the resource on the Coast.

He said he was concerned the Coast would have an “infrastructure deficit” if the council started rejecting quarry applications.

“We won’t be able to afford to bring in the material to support the roads in the city,” he said.

EARLIER:

COMMUNITY leaders in a final attempt to stop the expansion of a Gold Coast quarry have warned about a hidden concern — a potential huge future lake.

Community Alliance leader John Hicks has written to Mayor Tom Tate and all councillors on the eve of Thursday’s planning committee meeting to debate an officer’s report on the Oxenford quarry.

A 283-page report on the development application by Nucrush Pty Ltd recommends a “part refusal and part approval” for the expanding the quarry on its 151.4ha site off Maudsland Road, effectively ending the expansion at stage five and not stage nine.

Mr Hicks told councillors he wishes to “highlight one additional, vital concern that is apparent and yet seems to have received scant assessment in the planning report”.

“The planning report recommends approval to change the Oxenford quarry from an above ground level operation to a deep quarry pit 65m below ground level,” he said.

“Deep excavation of an open pit into the ground brings with it a substantial range of new risks not associated with above ground level operations.

“The planning report not only recommends permission for continued quarry operations, but also recommends acceptance that the end consequence of that quarrying will be the creation of a permanent artificial lake post-closure of the quarry.”

A technical report from consults indicated that post closure the water level in the quarry void if left unaffected would likely stabilise over time to approximately the same elevation as the Coomera River, Mr Hicks added.

“However, there is no detailed assessment in this key technical report of the projected water quality of this new lake, nor its implications for local hydrology, nor what risks its discharge might pose to the water quality and biota in the nearby Coomera River during a flood event,” he said.

Mr Hicks said there were questions about whether the lake would be a benign feature in the landscape suitable for recreational use.

“The legacy issues associated with Lake Hugh Muntz and Black Swan Lake come to mind as examples of artificial waterbodies requiring costly interventions from ratepayers’ funds,” he said.

“We are very concerned that the Council planning report does not specifically assess the risks associated with creation of a new lake in the landscape post-closure of the quarry.

“This is a major outcome of the application and yet it receives insufficient assessment of its potentially significant risks and consequences. We contend this omission means the planning report is not suitable for balanced decision-making.”

If the lake could not be proved to be environmentally sustainable and safe for the community, the application must be refused, Mr Hicks said.

The quarry operators believe the lake could become an important recreational resource for the community in the longer term.

EARLIER:

A COUNCIL report has revealed the Oxenford quarry has the potential to continue “for the next 100 years or more”.

Councillors at a planning committee meeting are being asked to give an expansion request the green light which residents fear will allow the quarry to continue for almost another four decades.

But the Bulletin can reveal a 283-page report by officers on a development application by Nucrush Pty Ltd states the quarry has the potential to operate for far longer.

The report recommends a “part refusal and part approval” for expanding the quarry on its 151.4ha site off Maudsland Road.

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The Planning and Environmental Court in 1992 issued a rezoning approval to enlarge the existing extractive industry zone but those rights cease in February next year, which sparked the fresh application to be voted on by councillors on Thursday.

Residents Against the Oxenford Quarry Expansion spokesperson Gwenda Felmingham told the Bulletin there were serious concerns raised by more than 100 submitters to the application about traffic, loss of koala habitat and potential long term operation.

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“The council planners are recommending Stages 1 – 5 of Nucrush’s development application to be approved,” she said.

“From Nucrush’s development application, Stage 5 is 34 to 37 years from when this approval commences, but the council is not setting an end date.

“This allows Nucrush to excavate down to 65 metres below the Coomera River level and continue for as long as they like.”

Council officers in their report acknowledged 122 submissions objected to the potential life of the proposed operation and the impact this would have on amenity and health for residents.

“Within the common material, the applicant has stated that the extension and expansion to the existing quarry could mean that the resources would be available for the next 100 years or more,” officers said.

“The applicant has advised that approximately 63 million tonnes of commercially viable greywacke resource could be extracted, based on the current footprint.

“The rate of extraction for the available resource is noted to be dependent on resource demand and economic conditions. The timing of the depletion of the resource is therefore unknown.”

Ms Felmingham said the impact of the project was not just in the immediate area but could affect residents along the Coomera River from Oxenford to Paradise Point.

“How can the council think it is acceptable to approve a quarry 160 metres from the nearest residential dwelling to the east, located on Rosewall Place. Oxenford State School will be only 350 metres from the quarry,” she said.

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“The blast exclusion zone is 1000 metres. These homes and many more are within the blast exclusion zone and in danger of flyrock damage or injury should a blast go wrong.”

Ms Felmingham said the submitted traffic impact assessment “makes no safety checks whatsoever” and relies on existing approval from 1992, despite a massive increase in trucks and haulage loads since the initial approval.

“The loss of 125,000 sq metres of koala habitat is very sad and will concern a lot people. Council claims this is merely a realignment. However, the koala habitat they claim is being released to mitigate this is a prohibited development area, for the life of the quarry, under the current approval,” she said.

Officers admitted the proposed development impacted upon general priority vegetation and assessable koala feed and shelter trees occurring within koala habitat areas identified on an environmental significance – priority species overlay map.

“However, in the context of the comparison between the existing approval and the proposed development in addition to the additional proposed ecological rehabilitation of degraded areas, damage to these mapped matters of environmental significance is considered to be satisfactorily minimised,” they wrote.

By changing the quarry pit footprint from the current approval to achieve a minimum 150m vegetated separation from residential housing to the east of the site would facilitate safe koala movement in that portion of the site, they added.

EARLIER: COUNCIL OFFICERS RECOMMEND QUARRY EXPANSION

COUNCIL officers are recommending a quarry can expand on the northern Gold Coast but not as big as planned by its owners.

The Bulletin can reveal officers at a planning committee meeting next Thursday will recommend a “part refusal and part approval” for the Oxenford quarry expansion subject to conditions for the huge project which has sparked a protest by nearby homeowners.

Their 283-report is being considered by councillors who after debate in the council chamber will make a final decision.

Nucrush Pty Ltd in its development application had sought a nine stage expansion of its quarry on a 151.4ha site off Maudsland Road.

Council officers in their report said the existing quarry has been in operation since the 1980s, and the Planning and Environment Court in 1992 issued a rezoning approval to enlarge the existing extractive industry zone.

“The use rights for the quarry are due to cease on 15 February 2022. The proposal seeks to extend the life of the existing quarry, while also seeking approval for an expansion to the operational area,” officers wrote.

The total operational area was 54.93ha to be worked over nine stages with “an undetermined operational period proposed”.

“The output of resource extraction and screening is proposed to remain unchanged from the existing limit of one million tonnes per annum,” officers said.

The council received 483 objections and 861 not properly made submissions along with three petitions with the major concerns “amenity and health” and traffic

“The key matters raised by submitters have been considered through officers’ assessment of the application,” officers wrote.

Considering the City Plan, officers concluded the quarry was “contemplated development for the site”.

“The quarry footprint is appropriate in the context of the site’s environmental values and local character,” officers wrote.

“However, officers are of the view the proponent has failed to demonstrate the appropriateness of the developments visual outcome following completion of proposed stage 5.”

Officers could not support stage 6 to 9 because of the uncertainty for the proposed visual outcome of the final plant and infrastructure locations.

“The proposal seeks approval to expand and realign the pit of the existing quarry. The proposed quarry footprint is located entirely within the extractive industry zone,” officers wrote.

“The purpose of the expansion is not to increase the quarry’s output or intensity, instead, its longevity.

“Much like digging an ordinary hole, the area of the pit must expand outwards in order to go down otherwise the benches become too sheer and unstable and become prone to ‘slips’.”

EARLIER:

THE state government maintains air quality is fine around a northern Gold Coast quarry, as residents ramp up a campaign against its planned expansion.

The Gold Coast City Council is arguably facing its most divisive community environmental issue since the Black Swan Lake-Bundall borrow pit row as officers complete their report on the expansion of the Oxenford quarry.

In 2019, the Nucrush Group sought to expand the quarry footprint in the north-east by 18ha and protect an additional 7ha of bushland. The plans have been revised to seek long-term extensions on current operations.

Area councillor William Owen-Jones provided residents with a link to state government real-time monitoring results conducted between April and September 2020.

“The results of the trial didn’t indicate any significant concerns about air quality in the area,” a report by the Department of Environment and Science said.

A singular spike in the 24-hour average standard occurred on August 20, 2020 and was “attributed to a dust storm that affected air quality across the region”.

The ongoing monitoring includes air quality, dust deposition and crystalline silica, the department said, in an update.

Cr Owen-Jones asked residents on Facebook to be “respectful in their communication with elected representatives”. The row has sparked nasty, unfounded slurs on social media.

“Finally, I would particularly ask that residents be respectful towards the city officers also during this time,” he wrote.

The Community Alliance has written to all councillors on behalf of resident groups, asking them to refuse the application.

Alliance leader John Hicks said he understood the quarry expansion request would be debated by the council’s planning committee on September 9 and by full council on September 14.

He said the councillors had the rare opportunity to refuse the application and end a problem with “deep historic roots and not all the fault of council”.

Councillor William Owen-Jones. Picture Glenn Hampson.

The Community Alliance has asked councillors to:

● Refuse the development application for expansion and insist that quarry operations cease in February 2022 with the expiry of the current approval.

● Recognise the proposal perpetuates for an astounding 100 years and escalates the huge conflict of use with the 1000-plus neighbouring dwellings and residents.

● Acknowledge the unacceptable loss of 125,000sq m of protected koala habitat.

● Understand the increased impacts – health, residential amenity, property damage, road safety from blast noise, shockwaves, respirable silica dust and additional haulage truck traffic.

Mr Hicks said the possibility of a 110m-deep, excavated mine pit could create a “catastrophic disruption to local hydrology” and lead to substantial dewatering and unacceptable discharge of contaminated water to the Coomera River.

“Better, alternative quarry operations already exist. There are 14 other hard-rock quarries on the Gold Coast well away from homes, with 160 years of hard-rock supply for the construction industry.

“This quarry has operated for 30 years and generated good returns to Nucrush. However, it also continues to generate substantial negative environmental impacts and lifestyle amenity impacts to thousands of neighbours.”

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