Former Broken Head quarry to be rehabilitated

The owners of Broken Head Quarry have agreed to an Enforceable Undertaking, according to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DoPE). The agreement requires the company to rehabilitate and revegetate the bushland by mid-2019.

A DoPE spokesperson says it’s a landmark outcome for the state government, ‘as it represents the first enforceable undertaking issued since the enactment of new provisions earlier this year.’

DoPE executive director, Resources Assessment and Compliance, Dr Oliver Holm said the decision is a win for local people who have been concerned about the environmental condition of the quarry and its future for many years.  

‘The old quarry site will now be brought back to match the surrounding vegetation to protect threatened species as well as restore an important wildlife corridor,’ he said.

‘This will allow threatened fauna known to exist in the adjacent community, to once again forage and potentially, sometime in the future, populate this area.

Legally binding

‘This includes endangered species such as the koala, the Eastern Long-eared Bat and potentially, the Long-nosed Potaroo, with the last confirmed sighting of this small marsupial in the region in 1993.’

Dr Holm said enforceable undertakings are written, legally binding agreements that can save the significant costs of legal action and bring about swift, clear and measurable results for the community.

Dr Holm said, ‘Our compliance team will continue to monitor the quarry to ensure the rehabilitation is carried out by mid-2019’.

‘Planting of new trees and vegetation as well as landscaping has already commenced and the community will see a real change over the coming years. This is good news for the Byron Bay region, with such a positive environmental outcome secured through a clear and enforceable mechanism.’