DOMINIC King was the sole councillor to officially reject the Dorrigo EMS quarry development application (DA) when the matter was reconsidered at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“The reason I oppose this so vigorously is because I represent what most of the community is saying,” Cr King said. “I was trying to find a balance between jobs and unacceptable increases in truck movements because it will have a major impact on the shire for three years.”
Cr King believed there had been a lack of community consultation and there was a need for independent expert studies to be done to ensure the safety of the route.
“There’s been a real lack of community consultation for something this big,” he said.
Cr King noted the quarry would have been well within its rights to take the matter to the Land and Environment Court if the proposal was rejected a second time. That scenario, he said, would have given council time to have the additional expert studies completed and possibly come up with an hours of operation for the quarry which might meet the consent of all parties.
He said while some sections of the Dorrigo community were supportive of the DA, that was a selfish stand as Bellingen township would be most affected by increased truck movements from the operation.
“I’m disappointed that some people were calling me asking me to change my mind even before the recision motion was made,” Cr King said. “People at the quarry said that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to pay off their equipment and machinery, which is fine, but should the majority have to suffer because of the economic benefits for a few?"
He said the extra traffic could impact on the road surface, and tourism in the area.
“I received a letter from a lady in Dorrigo who sends her two children to school in Coffs Harbour,” Cr King said. “The letter said that if this went ahead, they would move to Coffs Harbour to keep their kids safe on the road. She said that they constantly have near misses on Waterfall Way, even without the extra truck movement.
“If they move to Coffs Harbour, that’s two public service wages that disappear from Dorrigo,” Cr King said. “It’s never been about the quarry, it’s the transport. If the quarry was elsewhere, such as on the flood plains, it would have been fine.
“You just can’t go around this town (Bellingen),” Cr King said.
