Mining and environmental tourism don't mix: councillors By Catherine Watson
BASS Coast Shire Council will develop an extractive mining strategy for the shire in response to a surge in interest from sand companies.
A State Government report has nominated large parts of Bass Coast and South Gippsland as “strategic extractive resource areas” which would be exempt from normal planning requirements.
Last month, Planning Minister Richard Wynne called in a planning application from Dandy Pre-mix to expand its current Grantville quarry after the proposal drew 73 objections.
BASS Coast Shire Council will develop an extractive mining strategy for the shire in response to a surge in interest from sand companies.
A State Government report has nominated large parts of Bass Coast and South Gippsland as “strategic extractive resource areas” which would be exempt from normal planning requirements.
Last month, Planning Minister Richard Wynne called in a planning application from Dandy Pre-mix to expand its current Grantville quarry after the proposal drew 73 objections.
At today's council meeting, councillors voted unanimously in support of two motions that spell out multiple community concerns around the expansion of quarrying between Lang Lang and Grantville.
A map produced by the Save Western Port Woodlands group shows most of the existing work authorities for sand quarries are in reserves and woodland areas.
A map produced by the Save Western Port Woodlands group shows most of the existing work authorities for sand quarries are in reserves and woodland areas.
The dark green areas show the remnant woodlands. The yellow areas show where work authorities have been issued for sand extraction. Graphic: Gerard Drew
Cr Leticia Laing, who moved both motions, said many of the work authorities were issued in the 1990s when there was less environmental awareness of the value of the remnant woodlands.
The first motion related to the Dandy Premix application and noted it would remove the only piece of north-south woodland available to fauna to move between The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve and the Grantville Bushland Reserve.
The motion noted this was at odds with the council’s Biodiversity Biolinks Strategy 2018 and the Planning Minister’s declaration of Bass Coast as a Distinctive Area Landscape.
It authorised council officers to investigate whether Dandy Premix had met the conditions of its original permit, issued in 2013, under which the company agreed to ongoing replanting of the site, including replicating the wildlife corridor.
The second motion was related to the broader issue of sand quarrying within the shire.
It authorised the council, in partnership with the State Government and the community, to develop a mining strategy which takes into account the Minister’s declaration of Bass Coast as a Distinctive Area and Landscape, and concerns about the impact of sand quarrying on community amenity, transport, the environment and tourism.
It also called on the State Government, in view of the fact that it had removed control from the council, to indemnify the council against current and future liabilities for rehabilitating quarries.
First motion - Dandy Premix application
Second motion - extractive mining strategy
Both motions were passed unanimously.
The first motion related to the Dandy Premix application and noted it would remove the only piece of north-south woodland available to fauna to move between The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve and the Grantville Bushland Reserve.
The motion noted this was at odds with the council’s Biodiversity Biolinks Strategy 2018 and the Planning Minister’s declaration of Bass Coast as a Distinctive Area Landscape.
It authorised council officers to investigate whether Dandy Premix had met the conditions of its original permit, issued in 2013, under which the company agreed to ongoing replanting of the site, including replicating the wildlife corridor.
The second motion was related to the broader issue of sand quarrying within the shire.
It authorised the council, in partnership with the State Government and the community, to develop a mining strategy which takes into account the Minister’s declaration of Bass Coast as a Distinctive Area and Landscape, and concerns about the impact of sand quarrying on community amenity, transport, the environment and tourism.
It also called on the State Government, in view of the fact that it had removed control from the council, to indemnify the council against current and future liabilities for rehabilitating quarries.
First motion - Dandy Premix application
- The Minister for Planning has called in the Planning Application Permit for Dandy Pre-mix quarries and notes there is community concern about existing sand mines and request council officers investigate and confirm that the original Council planning permit conditions are fulfilled in regard to Dandy Pre-mix Quarries 2013 Permit Application.
- Council recognises that the proposal is at odds with Council’s Biodiversity Biolinks Strategy 2018 and the Minister for Planning’s declaration of the Bass Coast Shire as a Distinctive Area Landscape.
- Council acknowledges there are 73 community objections to the planning application.
- Council acknowledges that the strip of land that is currently under application for vegetation removal is the only piece of contiguous woodland available to fauna to move north-south between The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve and the Grantville Bushland Reserve.
- Council develop a submission to the Standing Advisory Panel which will review the plan for extracting the sand to address the significant community concerns which include the impacts on noise amenity, traffic amenity, community character, environmental degradation and rehabilitation of the area.
- Council request that the State Government indemnify the shire for any liabilities arising as a result of insufficient mining rehabilitation bonds being held by the Earth Resources Regulator for the Dandy Pre-mix site.
- Council requests the Minister for Planning accept a Councillor and Council officer present its submission in person to the Standing Advisory Panel.
Second motion - extractive mining strategy
- Council acknowledges the Minister for Planning’s statement that the availability of sand will contribute to the development of land within Metropolitan Melbourne, including the delivery of key public infrastructure projects.
- Council develop in partnership with the State Government and the community an extractive mining strategy for the Bass Coast Shire which takes into account the Minister’s declaration of the municipality as a Distinctive Area Landscape, the community’s noise amenity, transport impacts and the intrinsic environment and tourism values of the Bass Coast Shire.
- Council request the Earth Resources Regulator undertake an evaluation of the current estimates for all rehabilitation bonds being held for all extractive mining projects and work authorities in the Bass Coast Shire and report those findings to Council as soon as practicable.
- Consistent with the Victorian Auditor General’s Report on Rehabilitating Mines recognising systemic failures in the Earth Resources Regulator, Council request the State Government indemnify it for current and future liabilities on extractive mining projects in the shire.
Both motions were passed unanimously.