Barro Quarry

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History

Barro Group Pty Ltd’s (Barro) Mount Cotton Quarry (Quarry) has been a quarry site since the 1960s and was purchased by Barro in 1992. The quarry was declared a Key Resource Area – a planning mechanism to protect resources from urban development – by the State Government in 2004. Since that time, Redland City Council (Council) has been required to recognise and protect the Mount Cotton Quarry Key Resource Area through its planning scheme.

Conditions

The quarry operates under conditions imposed by various State Government departments, including the Departments of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP); Environment and Science (DES); and Transport and Main Roads (DTMR). Through the appeal process, a significant improvement to the operating conditions of the quarry was achieved by Council. The amended conditions require the quarry to operate in accordance with best practice.

Environmental impacts are regulated under an Environmental Authority, issued by the DES. These conditions regulate the following aspects of the quarry:

  • Noise nuisance – the conditions set noise limits for the quarry operations and require Barro to monitor noise and report non-compliance.
  • Air quality – Barro is required to monitor and control dust and other particulate matter.
  • Environmental harm – Barro must minimise the likelihood that its operations will cause environmental harm.
  • Water quality – Barro must implement a Stormwater Management Plan, undertake water quality monitoring and prevent the release of contaminants to waterways.
  • Waste – the conditions impose obligations on Barro to manage waste in accordance with State regulations.
  • Land management – these conditions set out how Barro must progressively rehabilitate the site upon completion of each stage of the quarry.
  • Complaints – Barro is required to record all complaints received and provide details of these to the DES on request.

There are penalties under the various environmental protection legislation that the State Government may impose, should Barro fail to meet the conditions of their environmental authority.

The development approval conditions are imposed by the DSDMIP and regulate the planning aspects of the quarry. These include:

  • The plans and documents that Barro must comply with;
  • Operational restrictions, including operating hours and rate of production;
  • Measures to manage noise nuisance, including the construction of noise barriers;
  • Physical measures to control dust;
  • A range of other obligations in respect of design, community engagement, ecology, vegetation management, stormwater, infrastructure and landscaping; and
  • Traffic and access – the DTMR requires Barro to upgrade the quarry access, make a financial contribution toward maintenance of the roads, manage stormwater and mitigate the impacts of dust and debris on roads.

Council wrote to the Minister of the DSDMIP in February 2019, requesting the imposition of more stringent conditions for noise, dust and road maintenance, however the Minister declined to do so. These conditions are detailed in the Council General Meeting Minutes of 23 January 2019, at Item 19.1.

Further approvals required by Barro

Barro is still required to undertake a number of actions and gain further approvals under the conditions of approval for the extension. These include:

  • Compliance assessment by Council for stormwater and landscaping;
  • Assessment and approval of the proposed vegetation offsets by the DES;
  • Approval by Energex of the proposed easements;
  • Assessment and approval of the required road upgrade, by the DTMR; and
  • Construction of additional noise attenuation barriers and the submission of certification to Council, confirming that the barriers have been constructed properly.

Contact information

Complaints about pollution from the quarry, including complaints about noise, air quality and water contamination, are to be directed to the State Government. To report pollution incidents, telephone the Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372, and select option 2. Email or online reports can also be made through the Queensland Government’s Reporting Pollution website.

For further information about the quarry and the standards under which it must operate, contact the Department of Environment and Science on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or palm@des.qld.gov.au, or the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning on 13 QGOV or info@dsdmip.qld.gov.au.

If you need to report a road hazard, incident or damage to the roads around the quarry, contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads on 13 19 40. Complaints about dangerous driving or incidents involving quarry vehicles should be reported to Queensland Police on 131 444, or 000.

The quarry can be contacted directly on 07 3206 6211.

History

Barro Group Pty Ltd’s (Barro) Mount Cotton Quarry (Quarry) has been a quarry site since the 1960s and was purchased by Barro in 1992. The quarry was declared a Key Resource Area – a planning mechanism to protect resources from urban development – by the State Government in 2004. Since that time, Redland City Council (Council) has been required to recognise and protect the Mount Cotton Quarry Key Resource Area through its planning scheme.

Conditions

The quarry operates under conditions imposed by various State Government departments, including the Departments of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP); Environment and Science (DES); and Transport and Main Roads (DTMR). Through the appeal process, a significant improvement to the operating conditions of the quarry was achieved by Council. The amended conditions require the quarry to operate in accordance with best practice.

Environmental impacts are regulated under an Environmental Authority, issued by the DES. These conditions regulate the following aspects of the quarry:

  • Noise nuisance – the conditions set noise limits for the quarry operations and require Barro to monitor noise and report non-compliance.
  • Air quality – Barro is required to monitor and control dust and other particulate matter.
  • Environmental harm – Barro must minimise the likelihood that its operations will cause environmental harm.
  • Water quality – Barro must implement a Stormwater Management Plan, undertake water quality monitoring and prevent the release of contaminants to waterways.
  • Waste – the conditions impose obligations on Barro to manage waste in accordance with State regulations.
  • Land management – these conditions set out how Barro must progressively rehabilitate the site upon completion of each stage of the quarry.
  • Complaints – Barro is required to record all complaints received and provide details of these to the DES on request.

There are penalties under the various environmental protection legislation that the State Government may impose, should Barro fail to meet the conditions of their environmental authority.

The development approval conditions are imposed by the DSDMIP and regulate the planning aspects of the quarry. These include:

  • The plans and documents that Barro must comply with;
  • Operational restrictions, including operating hours and rate of production;
  • Measures to manage noise nuisance, including the construction of noise barriers;
  • Physical measures to control dust;
  • A range of other obligations in respect of design, community engagement, ecology, vegetation management, stormwater, infrastructure and landscaping; and
  • Traffic and access – the DTMR requires Barro to upgrade the quarry access, make a financial contribution toward maintenance of the roads, manage stormwater and mitigate the impacts of dust and debris on roads.

Council wrote to the Minister of the DSDMIP in February 2019, requesting the imposition of more stringent conditions for noise, dust and road maintenance, however the Minister declined to do so. These conditions are detailed in the Council General Meeting Minutes of 23 January 2019, at Item 19.1.

Further approvals required by Barro

Barro is still required to undertake a number of actions and gain further approvals under the conditions of approval for the extension. These include:

  • Compliance assessment by Council for stormwater and landscaping;
  • Assessment and approval of the proposed vegetation offsets by the DES;
  • Approval by Energex of the proposed easements;
  • Assessment and approval of the required road upgrade, by the DTMR; and
  • Construction of additional noise attenuation barriers and the submission of certification to Council, confirming that the barriers have been constructed properly.

Contact information

Complaints about pollution from the quarry, including complaints about noise, air quality and water contamination, are to be directed to the State Government. To report pollution incidents, telephone the Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372, and select option 2. Email or online reports can also be made through the Queensland Government’s Reporting Pollution website.

For further information about the quarry and the standards under which it must operate, contact the Department of Environment and Science on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or palm@des.qld.gov.au, or the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning on 13 QGOV or info@dsdmip.qld.gov.au.

If you need to report a road hazard, incident or damage to the roads around the quarry, contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads on 13 19 40. Complaints about dangerous driving or incidents involving quarry vehicles should be reported to Queensland Police on 131 444, or 000.

The quarry can be contacted directly on 07 3206 6211.