Case Study: Deep Creek Quarry
Ironstone Developments, Limeburners Creek, New South WalesIronstone Developments needed approval for a State Significant quarry at Limeburners Creek, extracting up to 500,000 tonnes of hard rock a year. Wedgetail coordinated the full environmental and planning assessment, working through both state and Commonwealth approval processes. The result: Project Approval at both levels, with construction now underway.
The Challenge
Ironstone Developments identified a high-quality hard rock resource on their property at Limeburners Creek and wanted to develop a quarry extracting up to 500,000 tonnes a year. A project at that scale needs approval as a State Significant Development (SSD), and SSD quarry approvals are complex.
The project had to be well designed and comprehensively assessed, to make sure it was workable and minimised impacts on the environment and the surrounding community. Getting any one part of that wrong risks delay across the whole approval, not just the piece that's affected.
The Approach
Wedgetail worked with Ironstone from the design stage, helping shape the quarry layout and identifying what assessment work the approval would need. That meant working through potential constraints early, so the design itself could avoid delays rather than trying to fix them after submission. Wedgetail then coordinated a team of engineers and scientists through the full assessment and approval process, responding to agency and public submissions along the way.
On this project, Wedgetail delivered:
Quarry design input and constraint identification
A Response to Submissions report
An Environmental Management Strategy and supporting management plans
A Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem (GDE) assessment
An EPBC referral and approval at Commonwealth level
NSW Major Project Approval
The Result
The Deep Creek Quarry was approved at both state and Commonwealth level and is now under construction. Ironstone Developments has engaged Woodbury Civil, an experienced civil contractor with quarry experience, to construct and operate the quarry on its behalf, consistent with the Project Approval and licences Wedgetail helped secure.
State approval: Project Approval granted, backed by the Environmental Impact Statement and Wedgetail's response to public and agency submissions
Commonwealth approval: granted following the EPBC referral, alongside the state approval
Management plans in place, addressing the conditions attached to the Project Approval
Under construction now, with capacity to extract up to 500,000 tonnes of hard rock a year once operational
“Wedgetail have been instrumental in getting the Deep Creek Quarry approved. Wedgetail have been able to guide the Project Approval through an incredibly complex and lengthy assessment process, always looking for solutions to improve quarry design and simplify the approvals. Wedgetail have had the expertise and the persistence to get us across the line.”
Contact us about your offset obligations
Common Questions
-
A State Significant Development (SSD) quarry typically needs an Environmental Impact Statement, a response to public and agency submissions, and a Project Approval from the state government. If the project could affect a matter of national environmental significance, it might also require Commonwealth approval under the EPBC Act.
-
A State approval covers planning and environmental matters required under New South Wales legislation. A Commonwealth Approval is required if the project has the potential to have a significant impact on Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES). For Deep Creek, this required the preparation of a referral to the Commonwealth, and the preparation of detailed assessment of MNES to enable the assessment and approval at a Commonwealth level via the Bilateral agreement process. Wedgetail were able to work with the State and Commonwealth to get these approvals for Ironstone.
