A proposal to expand open cut mining operations near a World Heritage Area in New South Wales has been rejected by the state Department of Planning.
Coalpac had applied to consolidate and expand its Cullen Valley and Invincible mines at Cullen Bullen, outside Lithgow, on the border of the Gardens of Stone.
The project, now rejected by two state authorities, would see almost 700 hectares of open cut mining developed so 86 million tonnes of coal could be extracted from the western edge of the Ben Bullen State Forest.
ABC News says the department’s report advised the nature and scale of the environmental impacts of the current proposal were unacceptable.
It said while consent conditions could adequately manage issues of air quality, noise, blasting and water resources, the open cut nature of the project would be incompatible with the rock formations and biodiversity of the area.
The report followed a similar recommendation from the Planning Assessment Commission earlier this year.
Pepe Clarke, executive officer of the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales says following the two recommendations for refusal, he is confident the project will not get up.
Mr Clarke said only one step is left.
“The Planning Assessment Commission will consider the proposal and make a final determination on whether it should go ahead or not.
“Given the PAC’s previous finding and the recommendation from the department, it seems very likely at this stage that the mine will be refused.
“This is an enormous relief for local residents who were concerned about the mine and also for conservationists.”
Mr Clarke says the recommendation is a win for common sense.
“We need to take a long term view of these things,” he said.
“The Gardens of Stone is an incredible place, for anybody who’s been there, they’ll know how scenically striking it is and perhaps also have some sense of its ecological and conservation values.
“Compromising those values for a short term profit just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
The Department of Planning foreshadowed that a smaller proposal from Colapac may be acceptable
Mr Clarke said he hoped that did not come to fruition.
“Our view is that the conservation and community values at the Gardens of Stone are so important they must not be compromised.
“So, we’d really need to see a proposal to form a view, but I think most of us are hoping that Coalpac will abandon its attempts to consolidate or expand its mining operations in the area.”
An independent Planning Assessment Commission made up of different members to those who conducted a review of the project last year will now make a final decision.
