Quarry expansions in NSW will add to mining jobs in the state, according to the state Planning department.<\/p>\n
Approvals for expansions to two quarries, the Tinda Creek Sand Quarry near the Wollemi National Park, and the Gunlake quarry near Goulburn<\/strong>, will create an additional 18 jobs for each operation, including truck drivers.<\/p>\n The rate of production at the Gunlake quarry will be increased by 50 per cent to see up to 750,000 tonnes of rock extracted each year. A spokesman for the department said the departmental compliance team would monitor the site to ensure strict conditions determined during public consultation were followed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have approved the expansion based on the fact that the associated impacts can be appropriately controlled and it will bring a number of benefits for the local community and NSW as a whole, including more jobs and helping to meet construction industry demand for rock,\u201d a spokesman said.<\/p>\n Approval for the expansion of the Tinda Creek sand mine will extend the lease from 2021 to 245, which will allow 300,000 production tonnes per year.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only does this mean ongoing jobs for the 18 employees and contractors who work at the quarry, but the increase secures vital sand supplies needed for growth in Sydney\u2019s booming north-west over the next 25 years,\u201d a spokesman for the department said.<\/p>\n In response to feedback from environmental groups the expansion was scaled back to increase buffer zones between the quarry and the nearby Yengo National Park, as well as expansion to the biodiversity offset areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\nOf the 15 submissions made in relation to Gunlake, seven opposed the expansion on grounds of noise, dust, surface water and other environmental considerations.<\/p>\n