Quarry victory

By Casey Neill
ANTI-QUARRY residents are celebrating victory in a decade-long battle against the expansion of Montrose Quarry.
Last Thursday, Planning Minister Justin Madden announced he would not intervene in the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ decision to prevent the expansion of the quarry.
“Following careful consideration of this request I believe that the planning control should remain with Yarra Ranges shire council in this case,” Mr Madden said.
Quarry owner Boral Quarries called on the State Government to intervene after the shire refused to grant a permit to extend the quarry for the second time in eight years last November.
The proposal called for the quarry to be expanded by 7.9 hectares, which would extend its working life by 12 years.
STOP Montrose Quarry Expansion group’s David Dobson said he and his wife Robyn had spent the past seven years of their lives fighting the expansion.
“It’s a bloody ripper of a decision,” he said.
“We’ve got some finality and some sense of closure on this blight that’s been on our town for years.”
Boral general manager Paul Hillyer was extremely disappointed with the verdict.
Mr Hillyer said Boral had carried out 15 independent environmental studies, which had found that the planned extension would have no detrimental environmental or social impact.
“Boral will fully evaluate the implications of the minister’s decision over the coming weeks and its impact on the continuing operations of the Montrose Quarry,” he said.
Walling Ward councillor Len Cox said Boral now had no choice but to give up on the application, or start the process again with a new submission.
“The appeal to the minister was their last hurrah,” he said.
“They really should have ended this years ago.”
Cr Cox said community opposition to the quarry dated back to the 1960s.
“I’ve never seen any issue that the community has been so united about,” he said.
“Residents have left and new residents have moved in but the opposition remains the same.”
Cr Cox said residents were concerned about the potential health dangers of finer particles released into the area through the quarry’s rock crushing process.
He said noise and vibrations from explosions at the site reached homes up to a kilometre away and blasting at the site caused environmental damage.
Cr Cox called on Boral to plant trees to improve the appearance of the site and donate bushland on the property when the quarry eventually closed.
“As a thank you to the community for all they’ve taken from it,” he said.
“They’ve made a lot of money out of that rock at the inconvenience of the community.”
The Montrose site was first used as a quarry in 1956.
Boral gained control of the site in the 1980s.
In 2004, concerned residents formed the STOP Montrose Quarry Expansion group to oppose the proposed expansion.
In 1999 the shire unanimously rejected an application to expand the quarry.
Boral began a new campaign in 2004, but council again rejected the plans.