Forster office 4 Breese Parade | PO Box 450 Forster NSW 2428

29 March 2019

Your ref: BM:rd Mr Rob Beckett Enquiries: Bruce Moore Environmental Assessment Officer Resource Assessments Planning & Environment GPO Box 39 SYDNEY NSW 2001

Dear Rob

Hillview Hard Rock Quarry

It is understood that the Department of Planning and Environment has received a request to re-issue Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the Hillview Hard Rock Quarry (SSD 8239), located 8km south of Stroud, within the MidCoast local government area.

The proposal involves:

• establishing a quarry to extract and process up to 1.5 million tonnes of hard rock per annum for up to 30 years; • constructing of associated site infrastructure and amenities; • installing and operating a concrete batching plant; • recycling concrete waste for use in blended aggregates and road base; and • transporting material off-site via public roads.

The proposed development is State Significant Development (SSD) under Part 4 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 .

It is acknowledged that the formal time frame for submissions has lapsed, however Council would still like to take the opportunity to provide the following comments in relation to the proposal.

• The land of the development is partially cleared/ modified and partly vegetated with native vegetation communities. Native vegetation communities of the land include rainforest and dry forest types and two (2) EECs have been recorded (lowland rainforest and Lower Hunter Spotted Gum/ Ironbark Forest). Two (2) threatened species appear to have been recorded on the land of the proposed development, namely yellow-bellied glider and glossy black-cockatoo (BioNet records; preliminary EA report). The development as proposed will have a range of biodiversity impacts, including clearing of native vegetation and removal of habitat known or likely to be used by EEC and threatened biodiversity.

• The development has a statutory responsibility to address the relevant provisions of Commonwealth and State biodiversity legislation, including the EPBC Act 1999, State

Forster | Gloucester | | Tea Gardens | Stroud | ABN: 44 961 208 161 | Contact us: 6591 7222 [email protected] | www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au | midcoastcouncil | @midcoastcouncil Environmental Planning Policy No. 44 – Koala Habitat Protection, s4.15 of the EP&A Act 1979 and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2015 . The means with which a proponent addresses these statutes is clearly prescribed and the relevant literature reviews, field surveys, mapping and assessments will need to be conducted by properly qualified person(s) and submitted as part of any Application. We understand that a Biodiversity Assessment Report prepared in accordance with the BAM will form part of the development application. This is appropriate and outlines the required avoid – mitigate – offset hierarchy of ecological assessment decision-making.

• In addition to these standard statutory requirements, I would note that the application should consider and report on any of the twenty (20) matters set-out in s4.1 of the Great Lakes DCP 2014 that are relevant to the proposal. These local provisions are very important in the consideration of the ecological impacts of a development proposal and to the management or delivery of protective safeguards, in our opinion.

• Whilst we recognise that there is a statutory biodiversity assessment process that the applicant will need to address, there are key or priority issues that we would like specific attention given to in this proposal. These are:

o The avoid – mitigate – offset hierarchy is very important. In this manner, the footprint of the proposed quarry as well as associated features such as road and service upgrades, should be designed in a manner that avoids clearing of native vegetation and biodiversity impacts, at every possible opportunity.

o Hollow-bearing trees are critical habitat features. A survey of the locations of hollow-bearing trees should be provided in the development footprints, with notes on the size class of hollows present. A compensatory replacement program of nesting boxes, re-erected felled hollow trees and refurbished natural hollows should be provided.

o Appropriate field surveys for threatened flora and fauna species that are potential or likely inhabitants of the land are required in appropriate seasons and weather conditions. Adequate and reasonable surveys to determine the presence of fauna species should include, at a minimum, Elliott trapping, cage trapping, hair tubes/ funnels, bat detection, harp trapping, spotlighting, koala habitat and scat searches, call playback, diurnal and nocturnal herpetofauna surveys, bird census, searches for evidence, predator scat analysis, and opportunistic sightings.

o The land is within the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative wildlife corridor area and has recently been identified in a report commissioned by MidCoast Council (Lechner & Tiang Chin Fung, 2018, Connectivity Modelling of Karuah Catchment, NSW ) as within an area identified as one of the top three (3) highest priority wildlife corridor areas in the Karuah Catchment. This corridor area extends from Karuah National Park/ Karuah Nature Reserve to Monkerai Nature Reserve. The proposal should consider this report. The outcomes of the proposal should firstly not compromise existing connectivity in this landscape and secondly deliver improved outcomes for connectivity in this landscape by the provision of protective safeguards and offset measures.

o Offsets should be adequately and proactively secured and managed. Whilst we recognise that the NSW assessment scheme may permit the use of payment of funds for offset measures or regional offset measures, we are firmly of the opinion that for this project and for our community that offsets should be provided locally and as close as possible to the footprint of the impact. As mentioned, this should contribute to sub-regional connectivity. Details of the offset measures should be clearly expressed in the application

Page 2 of 5 for review and endorsement by Council (whether that be by public dedication (eg. extension of Karuah Nature Reserve) or stewardship site or other appropriate mechanism). o The proposal should consider its effects on downstream receiving waterbodies which include productive, sensitive and significant waterways, including coastal wetlands, a gazetted Marine Park and important aquaculture areas. The proposal should consider and respond to the details in the Karuah Catchment Management Plan (MidCoast Council, 2014).

o Assessment of the requisite width of buffers between the development footprint and any sensitive and important habitats needs to be satisfactorily undertaken such that harmful effects associated with pollution, noise, disturbance, altered conditions and invasive species can be avoided or suitably managed.

• Road intersections will need to be investigated, surveyed and a preliminary design submitted to both Council and the RMS:

o There appears to be limited road reserve width along The at the Maytoms Lane intersection. To provide a suitable de-acceleration and acceleration lanes for this intersection design, land acquisition for road widen purposes maybe required, so a detailed survey of the existing road carriageway and its location relative to the adjacent road reserve/property boundaries will be required.

o Access onto The Bucketts Way - Any mitigation of the resultant noise issues that will adversely affect the adjacent properties could impede the sight distance of drivers of vehicles entering this intersection.

o The existing road side vegetation in the first instance, should be retained and enhanced. If some clearing of roadside vegetation must be undertaken for safety/upgrading works, then this loss needs to be considered in offset calculations.

o Booral Road is of poor condition, in particular where crossing the National Park (ie between Lewis Creek/The Branch River and Crawford River) where there are a combination of narrow carriageway width, sharp hairpin turns and steep road gradients. This road is not suitable for further heavy traffic. The EIS should reflect this issue, for the restriction of the through traffic either originating from or travelling to the development site.

• Construction of the intersection of The Bucketts Way and Maytoms Lane, and Maytoms Lane will need to be staged so it is undertaken prior to the commencement of internal construction.

• Maytoms Lane will need to be constructed to Council's and any RFS requirements. Should also be sealed with an AC10 asphaltic seal for both dust and noise reduction.

• The ongoing maintenance of the road carriageway and associate infrastructure within this portion of Maytoms Lane to the west of The Bucketts Way will need to be undertaken by the applicant.

• There are numerous streams and watercourses (including Double Creek) that are indicated as blue lines on the topographical maps and are located and drain through the development site (proposed pit, process and stock pile area and haul road (haul road extends over Double Creek) As well the quarry will interfere with and have an impact on the groundwater movement/catchment.

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• A stormwater flood investigation study will need to be undertaken to determine the 1% AEP and PMF. Issues to be further investigated are: -

o Identify any adverse effects that may occur to the downstream properties. Included are the reduction of base flows that will result from the development.

o Identify what critical infrastructure will need to be protected/ designed for a PMF. o Design of a suitably sized tailings dam/s and the ongoing maintenance (ie flocculation of the residual run off) as part of the measures to ensure the environmental flows of stormwater are maintained: -

° Including the construction of Maytoms Lane and the remainder of the access road during the construction stage and when the quarry is operational; and

° The dam will require a weir overflow designed at the 5% AEP with dam walls constructed to above the 1% AEP flood. The dam must be designed to withstand the PMF flood.

o The haulage road crossing of creeks/ water courses: -

° Road surface flood free for minimum 1 in 10 AEP; and

° The design is to ensure safe passage for vehicles up to a 1% AEP flood especially crossing over Double Creek. The structure/s and embankments (including erosion control of the embankments) to withstand a PMF

o Dam design: -

° Spillway crest with a minimum 5% AIE dam walls designed to the 1% AEP; ° Critical - dam wall and embankments (including erosion of the embankments) designed/constructed to withstand a PMF; and ° An Evacuation plan will be required.

• A Traffic study shall be undertaken, that: -

o Determines the maximum vehicle movements;

o Details the proposed employee and visitor numbers truck parking areas; and

o Ensures all car parking and internal vehicle access (including trucks) are designed in accordance with the requirements specified in the AS 2890 series and the current Ausroads documents. Heavy construction machinery in accordance with the manufacturer's specification and any associated guidelines and Australian Standards.

• An air Quality Impact Assessment should be provided as part of the EIS in accordance with the Approved Methods for the Modelling and Assessment of Air Pollutants in NSW (EPA 2017)

• Noise should be assessed with regard to the Interim Construction Noise Guideline (DECC 2009), NSW Industrial Noise Policy (EPA 2000) and the NSW Road Noise Policy (DECCW 2011).

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Council would appreciate the opportunity to provide further comment on the formal project application, when lodged.

Yours sincerely

Bruce Moore Manager, Development Assessment

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