The Independent Planning Commission will hold a public meeting into a proposed rock quarry in a state forest north of Raymond Terrace.
The Stone Ridge Quarry project area covers 139 hectares within the Wallaroo State Forest. It has a disturbance area of about 80 hectares.
The Australian Resource Development Group has proposed to extract 1.5 million tonnes per annum of hard rock from the site for 30 years.
A coalition of 16 Hunter-based groups fighting the plan argue that, if approved, the project would destroy native vegetation in an area which supports both an intact regional biodiversity corridor, as well as three overlapping climate corridors that government commissioned research has highlighted are essential to the survival of threatened species populations fleeing the effects of climate change.
In a co-signed letter sent to Ms Plibersek last year, the groups argued that the quarry would have unacceptable impacts on biodiversity protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Australian Resource Development Group director of planning and development Justin Meleo previously said minimising and avoiding biodiversity impacts, including on the koala, were of paramount importance when locating the quarry site and in determining the location of any project disturbance area.
"The project site is mapped as the lowest category 'marginal' habitat on the Koala Habitat Planning Map within the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management prepared by Port Stephens Council," Dr Meleo said.
The project has been referred to the Independent Planning Commission because the Department of Planning received at least 50 unique submissions objecting to the proposal.
The public meeting will be held at the Seaham School of Arts at 10 Warren Street, Seaham on Thursday 14 November 2024 at 10am.
Anyone wishing to present at the public meeting must pre-register their interest on the Commission's website using the Speaker Registration Form.
Written submissions will be accepted until 5:00pm on Thursday 21 November 2024.
Plans have also been lodged for another quarry just south of Stroud, off Bucketts Way near Booral.
The $6.5-million Hillview Hard Rock Quarry, which would extract up 1.5-million tonnes of hard rock per annum for up to 30 years.
Coastwide Materials made the application for the development, which if approved will be undertaken over seven stages and extract up to 45-million tonnes of resources.
The project is expected to create an additional 252 daily truck movements. The plans include road and intersection upgrades to Maytoms Lane and The Bucketts Way to cater for the extra vehicles.
The site covers 400 hectares, but the quarry footprint will be confined to 48 hectares, and is expected to employ 25 to 30 full time employees once established.
