THE contentious Eumungerie sand quarry project has been put on hold again, with Dubbo City Council committing it to another round of public consultation.
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Council's planning and development committee voted for a deferred consideration of the Development Application (DA) "in order to provide for a further period of public consultation" on the proposed transport route, council papers reveal.
The DA is proposing to extract 6,000m3 of material per annum from a two hectare site at Lot 84 DP 704124, 118R Coolbaggie Forest Road, Eumungerie, with an average of one truck per day (Monday to Friday) carrying sand away from the site along Coolbaggie Road, Morgiguy Road, Wheaton Street, Cobboco Road and Gilgandra Road.
The DA attracted more than 80 pages of submissions to council, with 53 of the 54 total submissions opposing, or concerned about, the project.
Objections raised included safety concerns relating to trucks transporting sand along unsealed roads, the possibility of noise and dust pollution and policing of the one-truck per day limit.
"The semi-blind corners and the creek crossings are already dangerous enough during the grain season, it would be an accident waiting to happen to allow trucks daily usage of the road," one submission stated.
"Even closed windows couldn't stop dust getting in," another submission said, referring to the use of dirt roads by trucks servicing a previous sand quarry.
But, Councillor Walkom cautioned the council, saying the DA had already satisfied council processes.
"While I understand the purpose for the consultation... I think as a council we need to be very careful that we don't send the wrong message to those that are trying to create some economic growth in our community," Cr Walkom told the council.
"This is obviously a business that has gone through the development application process, it has come up at council, and now we're sending it back out for public comment. So there's a delay in the whole process. Now it won't be back until the August meeting before we make a decision whether to give a green light or a red light on this application."
The public will be able to provide their feedback for 28 days from the date the development application goes back on public exhibition.