Quarry expansion blasted

By Tania Martin
BUILDING materials company Boral has been denied an extension of its Montrose Quarry for the second time in eight years.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges on Tuesday night last week unanimously refused an application for expansion and called for Boral to stop its campaign to extend the quarry.
The proposal called for the quarry to be expanded by 7.9 hectares, which would also extend its working life by 12 years.
This latest victory for the people of Montrose comes after they won the fight eight years ago when the then council also voted unanimously against an expansion.
More than 150 people stood up in the council chamber last week with placards imploring the council to stop the expansion.
STOP Montrose Quarry group president Darren McCrorey, told the council that it was time to put the fighting to an end and stop the expansion once and for all.
“Please give us a break and stop this expansion campaign,” he said.
Mr McCrorey said if the quarry was to expand it would forever scar the Montrose township in a way that could never be repaired.
He said people were concerned about the impacts of the fractured silica particles emitted from the quarry affecting their children’s health.
Residents are also concerned about the impact on the nearby forest, the wildlife and the environment.
But Boral Quarries general manager Paul Hillyer said 15 independent studies had been carried out for an environmental effects statement which showed that the quarry currently operated with little or no detrimental affect to the environment.
However, STOP Montrose Quarry member David Dobson told the Mail in June that he seriously doubted the findings of the report.
He said a consultant was commissioned by Boral, which leaves some doubts over the transparency of the reporting process.
At the meeting which eventually rejected the application, Mr Hillyer called for the council last Tuesday to let the application proceed so it could be put on public display and debated in an open forum.
But the council agreed that there had been extensive public debate over the issue for more than eight years and that the message was clear – the community didn’t want the quarry to expand.
Councillor Len Cox said there wasn’t another application that has had so much public discussion.
“The public just doesn’t want it,” he said.
Cr Cox said one of the major issues was the silica dust particles and that regardless of what Boral says about it being safe, nothing had been proven.
“They said asbestos was safe all those years ago – it’s the same with the silica dust, no one knows for sure if it safe or if it isn’t,” he said.
Mr Hillyer said Boral was disappointed over the council’s decision to refuse the extension, but that no decision had been made whether the application will sent to VCAT for appeal.
Mr McCrorey said that the people of Montrose would not rest until the proposal had been defeated by the highest level at a State Government level or at VCAT.