Members of the public had the opportunity to have their say this week on proposed changes to the development consent for the Clean TeQ Sunrise mining project at Fifield.
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About 100 people gathered at the Parkes Leagues Club on Tuesday for the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) public meeting, representing all three council areas of Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan.
Forty one people registered to speak at the meeting, including farmers, business people, and representatives from the three councils, Lachlan Valley Water, Borefield Residents Alliance and Parkes Rotary Club.
Among the proposed modifications in the approved project’s MOD 4 application are changes to the mineral processing facility and mine layout, an additional supply of limestone for the processing facility, and a diversification of the mine’s water supply arrangements to include surface water of about 350 megalitres per year from the Lachlan River.
The application was referred to the Independent Planning Commission after the NSW Government’s Department of Planning and Environment received 54 submissions – 10 from public authorities and 44 from the general public, of which 39 objected.
No government authority objected to the proposal, except Forbes Shire Council which objected to the proposed surface water extraction from the Lachlan River because of its potential impact on water supply to agricultural land users.
Clean TeQ CEO Sam Riggall was the first to speak on Tuesday, telling the IPC the nickel, cobalt and scandium mine was an important project for NSW and Australia and would be a major supplier for one of the fastest growing industries, the electric vehicle industry.
“Australia has the opportunity to be a world leader in the production of these materials,” he said.
Mr Riggall said the mine would bring 1000 jobs during construction, 300 jobs during operation and almost $2 billion in wages and salaries over 25 years.
A number of farmers living in close proximity to the mine said they weren’t opposed to the project as a whole and supported its benefits, but they had their concerns.
Farmers raised a number of issues impacting them and their families, such as loss of their quality of life, contamination of surface and underground water, impact on the quality and quantity of bore water, noise and dust pollution, loss of value of their homes and property, environmental impacts, and heavier traffic on country roads.
Others called for the voluntary land acquisition condition to be reinstated to protect farmers and their rights, for the ground water modelling to be redone, and said that data did not accurately reflect mining emissions impacts.
The Department of Planning and Environment removed the voluntary land acquisition clause from Clean TeQ’s development consent in 2017, when its MOD 3 application was granted.
The NSW Government’s Voluntary Land Acquisition and Mitigation Policy (VLAMP) deals with the implications of predicted noise and air quality emissions from state significant developments for the owners of nearby properties.
VLAMP is administered by the Department of Planning and Environment when assessing applications like Clean TeQ’s MOD 4.
“If conditions [are not considered] it will impact on our lives,” another speaker Des Ward said.
“But it will have a far greater impact on our children, grand children and future generations who will have to live with the impact.”
Helen Quade from Fifield was among many concerned about the removal of the voluntary acquisition condition.
“It should not be treated as an additional condition, it was already part of the original conditions,” she said.
“We’re not looking for a golden ticket…We love where we live...None of us want to sell and move.
“The government has little regard for the little voices, please hear our concerns and reinstate the voluntary acquisition condition.”
Peter Bright from Forbes spoke at the meeting, saying he was a very strong advocate of Clean TeQ.
“I’ve had the opportunity to travel around this area which is western NSW and seen what’s happening in our smaller towns,” he said.
“Banks are closing, supermarkets are closing, small schools are closing – all across the state and our children are leaving to get jobs in the bigger cities.
“This mine will produce 300 jobs in this area, that’s potentially 300 families – 300 families living, working and having children, needing schools and supermarkets and banks. This type of increase in population and jobs is just what we need to keep our smaller towns viable.”
Parkes Chamber of Commerce vice president and real estate agent, Tracie Robertson took the opportunity to talk about the benefits mines bring to businesses and currently busy real estate market.
“What would our three shires look like without the Northparkes Mines and Lake Cowal Gold Mine?” She said.
“In the 22 years I have been in the real estate industry, I have never seen any negative impact on property value from Northparkes Mines.
“The real estate market future for the three shires is bright, we need this mine to go ahead and we need it soon.”
Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM also spoke about jobs, how Clean TeQ will provide $400,000 to the three councils for community enhancements per year and the enormous contribution the mine would make to the Parkes Shire and the region.
“As most of you would be aware the National Logistics Hub will be established at Parkes and the flow on effects of the activation zone...I think that will be important for the Clean TeQ operations moving forward,” he said.
“We were delighted when Sam rang to let us know that Parkes would be the headquarters of the Clean TeQ operations for the region. Parkes was up against Perth and Newcastle for that particular operation and I think everyone in the region would be very pleased their headquarters of operations would be based in our region.”
“Approval should be transparent.”
Lachlan Shire Mayor John Medcalf told the room the project was a game changer for the area but said there were community concerns.
“We need to look at the overall process and what benefit it will have on our area,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic thing…It’s great that Parkes, Lachlan and Forbes are working together to bring this to fruition.”
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