Brandy Hill Quarry Expansion Project
Hanson has received all necessary approvals from the New South Wales Government to expand our Brandy Hill Quarry. The decision is now with the Federal Government.
Hanson is committed to protecting all wildlife and there is no evidence that the proposed Brandy Hill Quarry expansion area is prime koala habitat.
Bionet data from the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage indicates a total of 6,749 koala records from within the Port Stephens Local Government Area, as at 20 January 2015 (OEH 2015), and none of these koalas have been located within the proposed quarry expansion area.
The proposed quarry expansion area is mapped as “marginal” in the Port Stephens Council Koala Plan of Management and as not severing an east-west link for koala movement.
Hanson will preserve at least 450 hectares of prime koala habitat adjoining the quarry to protect koalas and promote the koala species.
The proposed quarry expansion will take place in three stages over 30 years. Phase one of the quarry expansion is to increase the depth of the existing quarry area — not to expand outside the current footprint. It will be two to three years before we extend beyond the existing quarry area and this will be a two-staged process over a long period of time.
The quarry expansion is necessary to meet the growing demand from local industry and to secure and create jobs for the region. Without the approval of the quarry expansion, the Brandy Hill Quarry will close in a matter of months, seeing job losses and impacting the local economy during uncertain times.
Hanson has been a long-term employer in the region with many employees, supplies and contractors living in the communities surrounding the quarry.