An extraordinary meeting on Thursday was able to consider a recision motion – after council had originally voted against the DA.

Earlier last week it was thought that the recision motion could not be put as it had been lodged outside of the normal regulatory timeframe, however last minute legal advice determined that it could go ahead for debate.

The quarry’s DA has been a cause of much public debate, with some welcoming the opportunity for a local business to expand while others fretted about increased traffic volumes of trucks travelling along Waterfall Way and through Bellingen.

Three residents spoke at the meeting, two in favour of the DA and one against. Speaking against, longtime resident Ross Williams argued that the decision made at the first council meeting on November 6 was the "correct" ruling that appropriately addressed community concerns such as the "amenity of our shire".

“There was a full and frank appraisal on November 6 that addressed community concerns. It was a sound and democratic motion,” Mr Williams said.

But Dorrigo EMS quarry general manager Morgan Bennet said that as a local business owner and employee, he was disappointed at the previous meeting because the DA had been supported by creditable authorities.

Mr Bennet said at the first meeting, councillors had been "grasping at straws" to find a reason to reject the DA.

He said the firm had sought legal advice and would consider taking Bellingen Council to the Land and Environment Court if the proposal was rejected a second time.

“We will claim costs and challenge council’s objections,” Mr Bennet said. “We [the quarry proposal] are supported by the Dorrigo community and ratepayers.”

Fred Wilson, owner of an engineering business in Dorrigo, also spoke in favour of the proposal. 

Mr Wilson debated the issue of safety and the fact that a quarry at Hernani would be given the contract if EMS Dorrigo was unsuccessful.

Mr Wilson said that the EMS Dorrigo quarry would be economically beneficial for the local community, and the new equipment and technology for trucks should be a telling factor in favour of the proposal.

Each councillor spoke at the recision meeting, which gave them the opportunity express their views and/or concerns about the DA.

A fairly even agreement was that councillors were not opposed to the increase of production at the quarry per se, but were concerned about the resultant frequent transportation on a busy and dangerous road.

“This is a massive increase and RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] can’t say that Waterfall Way is totally okay to cope with these trucks,” Cr Gordon Manning said.

The economic benefit for Dorrigo was also put on the table.

“This could be the thing that turns Dorrigo around - Dorrigo’s struggling,” Cr Desmae Harrison said.

Cr Steve Klipin said he did not feel as if the community was given enough input into the matter, and he had been speaking widely with residents since the original meeting.

Cr David Scott reminded councillors that while the transportation of rock from the quarry will provide some issues along Waterfall Way, it was a comparatively short term situation to upgrade the Pacific Highway.

When the matter was finally put to the vote, all bar Cr Dominic King voted in favour of the recision motion.