Rosa Brook residents alarmed at new Shire of Augusta-Margaret River extractive industries policy rejig

A group of Rosa Brook residents are calling on the community to comment on a proposed new Shire of Augusta-Margaret River policy governing gravel pits before it’s too late. The Wallis Road neighbours banded together amid concerns about one nearby gravel pit and another proposed pit providing the crucial construction material on which many industries, including the Shire itself, relied heavily. Group spokespersons James Hick and Vernon Nicolle told the Times they understood the need for the raw materials, but the policy out for public comment until October 21 lacked rigour, had not changed much from the previous version, and still failed to protect the amenity of neighbours living alongside quarries and gravel pits. “We feel there are shortfalls within the amended policy that have major implications for home owners in the vicinity of gravel pits,” Mr Hick said. A core concern was lack of clarity about the distance an operation could occur from homes, despite reference to 500m buffers. “The wording is ambiguous,” Mr Hick said. “We believe the policy should state clearly a non-negotiable distance of 500m.” Mr Hick and Mr Nicolle urged the Shire to borrow from the City of Busselton’s policy they believed took “a hard line on this issue”. The Shire rejected complaints the new policy had changed little, contained unclear wording and was too lenient on gravel pit operators at the expense of affected neighbours. Planning and regulatory services manager Matt Cuthbert said input from ratepayers would be welcomed. “The Shire’s draft Extractive Industry Policy builds on the strong foundations created by the existing policy and contains robust new controls to manage the relationship between extractive industries and the neighbouring environment,” he said. “Important changes include more restrictive operating times and days, enhanced environmental controls, and clarifications with regards to buffer distances.” Mr Nicolle said there was also a lack of compliance and enforcement measures in the draft policy out for comment. “It is important to us all, and goes beyond gravel pits,” he said. Mr Hick said neighbours had lodged their complaints throughout the past year and he was disappointed not to see their concerns better reflected.