We, the undersigned, respectfully request Sunshine Coast Regional Council to: 

1. Immediately and permanently cease the Dulong and Image Flat Quarries Expression of Interest process

2. Commit to retaining full operational, management and business control of its own quarry assets

3. Immediately amend the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme to correct current unjustifiable inequities between private quarries and Council-owned and operated quarries by:

   (a) creating a single consistent Extractive Industry Zone for all quarries in the region, whether private or Council-owned and operated 

   (b) making all development proposals in this Zone subject to an Impact Assessable level of development assessment

   (c) requiring all private and Council-owned asphalt plants in the region to be in the High Impact Industry Zone and subject to an Impact Assessable level of development assessment.

Basis of Petition:

- Currently, the Council-owned and operated Dulong and Image Flat quarries are in the Community Facilities Zone. These are the only two quarries in the Sunshine Coast region that are in this Zone and they attract the lowest possible level of development assessment scrutiny - Accepted Development (no development applications required and the Extractive Industry Code does not apply).

- All private quarries in the Sunshine Coast region are in the Rural Zone. These attract the highest and typical level of development assessment - Impact Assessable - and are also subject to numerous Scheme Codes.

- The Council-owned asphalt plant at Image Flat quarry is also in the Community Facilities Zone whereas all private asphalt plants in the region are in the High Impact Industry Zone and subject to Impact Assessable development assessment.

- The current zoning and development assessment arrangements for the Council quarries and its asphalt plant are inconsistent with the requirements of the Planning Act Regulation. 

- Due to the Community Facilities zoning and Accepted Development status, Council’s own two quarries enjoy favourable operational, development, impact scrutiny and business advantages over every other quarry in the region. 

- Accepted Development for Dulong and Image Flat quarries denies affected residents the usual and expected rights to participate in the development assessment process that are available to all others living with private quarries in the region as it removes:

• residents’ rights to be notified of proposed quarry operational and/ or intensification changes
• residents’ opportunities to have a say in the development assessment process (no formal written submissions are possible), and 
• residents’ Planning and Environment Court appeal rights. 

The EOI must be stopped as the highest priority. This is because all the above inequitable and anomalous features of the Community Facilities zoning at Dulong and Image Flat quarries are fully transferrable to a private contractor lessee and will be unchangeable for the lifetime of any contract. Council states this could be up to 20 years.