Parklands Blue Metal Pty Ltd loses attempt to amend Yandina quarry conditions

A proposed Sunshine Coast quarry, embroiled in a longstanding battle with the local government, has been dealt a blow in court after applying to relinquish responsibility over a local road.

Maroochydore Court House. Photo:Barry Leddicoat / Sunshine Coast Daily

A proposed Sunshine Coast quarry, embroiled in a longstanding battle with local government, has attempted to remove conditions they would have to maintain their planned haulage route rather than the council.

The company behind the proposed Yandina quarry, Parklands Blue Metal Pty Ltd, applied to change the development conditions imposed by the Sunshine Coast Council in the Planning and Environment Court.

The quarry is set to operate from 945 and 954 North Arm-Yandina Creek Road, Yandina, and is expected to be in operation for about 40 years, according to the court documents.

Between Parklands and the council, there is an agreed maximum of 112 trips per day to and from the quarry, with half of those allowed to be carrying loads.

Part of the route includes a five kilometre section of unsealed road, which was previously decided to be completely funded by Parklands and will require maintenance.

According to court documents, the quarry applied instead to pay the council a levy per tonne of material extracted from the site in order to have the haulage road maintained by the local government.

“Parklands proposes that the quarry operator should pay the Council a contribution for the costs of Council maintaining the haulage route,” court documents stated.

It is undisputed the quarry will extract 500,000 tonnes from the site each year, with the documents outlining a number of agreed conditions.

“To address noise and other amenity concerns, there are limits on blasting, drilling, and the crushing and screening activity that can take place on the site. Extraction and processing operations are limited to the hours of 7.00 am to 5.00 pm each weekday and 7.00 am to noon on Saturdays,” the document stated.

Ultimately, it was ordered Parklands remain in charge of the road maintenance due to a majority of the predicted traffic being their heavy vehicles, with the documents stating any repairs needed will “almost certainly be because of the quarry trucks.”

Judge Glen Cash said he had “little confidence” any levy supplied would reflect the true costs of the road maintenance.

“They also cause me to have little confidence that a levy could be calculated to properly reflect the actual costs to the Council for maintaining the haulage route once the quarry is operating,” the documents stated.

Mr Cash also ordered the council to prepare a conditions package.

Originally published as Parklands Blue Metal Pty Ltd loses attempt to amend Yandina quarry conditions