The owners of a Sunshine Coast quarry say major infrastructure projects in the region – including a multibillion-dollar rail line – could be impacted if they aren’t permitted to expand their operations.
Hanson Construction Materials Ltd (now part of Heidelberg Materials Australia) lodged an appeal in the Planning and Environment Court, seeking approval to increase their extraction rate from 600,000 tonnes per year to more than a million tonnes per year at the Glasshouse Quarry at the Glass House Mountains.
The appeal was submitted after Sunshine Coast Council did not decide on the development application within the legislated timeframe.
The company told Sunshine Coast News, via a statement, that an expanded quarry was vital for the fast-growing region in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.
“Council has had more than two years to assess our properly-made development application for our existing quarry and it has become evident that the matter has seen minimal progress in recent times,” they said.
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“The continued delays are preventing us from committing to supply an additional 600,000 tonnes per annum to support key infrastructure projects and the construction of new homes across the Sunshine Coast.
“Key infrastructure projects that are planned to support the growth of the Sunshine Coast, such as the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line, will risk a reduction in project scope or cancellation of funding as the cost of construction material escalates due to restricted supply of materials.
“We have provided extensive scientific responses to address all concerns raised by council and have agreed to three extensions of time since the application entered the decision-making period in February.”
They said they lodged the appeal “to provide greater certainty around the supply of construction materials to the Sunshine Coast region”.
The company’s comments come as conservation group Save Our Glass House Mountains signalled intentions to become a co-respondent to counter Hanson’s appeal.
The group issued a media release stating strong opposition to the proposed expansion.
“At a recent meeting in a packed community hall, (SOGHM co-founder) Megan Standring explained the upcoming court proceedings to concerned community members,” it said.
“She was given resounding confirmation by supporters that they will hold firm and stand together as a community.
“To cover legal expenses, SOGHM has recently launched a fundraising campaign with chuffed.org, with donations already coming in. Local artist Dean Reilly has created ‘No Quarry Expansion’ prints capturing various aspects of the iconic landscape as a fundraiser. Orders for his work continue to pour in.
“For the past two years, SOGHM has opposed this expansion and has endeavoured to have the development application properly assessed.”
The group previously cited concerns over dust, noise, truck movements, data integrity and potential impacts on heritage and the environment.
But Hanson said, in the appeal, that the proposal should be approved.
“The development application complies or can be conditioned to comply with the relevant planning instruments and assessment benchmarks,” it said.
“There are also relevant discretionary matters that support the development application being approved.”
A council spokesperson told SCN last month that Hanson lodged a ‘deemed refusal’ with the court “before council could make a decision”.
“Council and the applicant had previously agreed to multiple extensions of the decision-making period,” they said.
“However, the applicant declined to extend the timeframe beyond August 8 and lodged a ‘deemed refusal’.
“As a result, the court is now the assessment manager and council is no longer able to decide the application.”
