Salt Ash Sand Quarry NSW
Holcim owns and operates the Salt Ash Sand Quarry, a long-standing operation that extracts, processes and transports sand products for use in the production of construction materials such as glass and concrete.
Salt Ash Sand Quarry is located north-east of Newcastle at 8 Oakvale Drive in Salt Ash, NSW. The quarry has been in operation since the 1980s. Holcim took over ownership of Salt Ash Sand Quarry in April 2020 from Sibelco Australia Pty Ltd. The quarry employs ten people full-time and an additional five contractors.
Operating hours
Monday to Thursday 6am to 10pm |
Friday 6am to 6pm |
Saturday 6am to 12 noon |
Sundays & Public Holidays No operations |
The site operates one shift on Friday and Saturday. Site management and office personnel work a standard 8am to 5pm work day.
Community
Social responsibility is the cornerstone of our commitment to sustainable development. At Holcim, we strive to assist in improving the quality of life for our people, their families and the communities in which we operate through investment and engagement. The Salt Ash Sand Quarry team is committed to working with the local community and building long-term relationships based on mutual respect and trust with all stakeholders. At times, Holcim will provide community updates, newsletters and community information sessions to ensure the local community is kept up to date with the local operations, any upcoming projects or planning changes, as well as provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions or learn more. However, the Salt Ash Sand Quarry team can be contacted at any time with questions or concerns.
A community hotline and direct email address is being established to ensure community contact is easy and efficient.
A community information session is currently being planned with more details to come shortly.
Environment
Holcim is committed to the responsible utilisation of our country’s natural resources. Environmental management and compliance of the Salt Ash Sand Quarry operation is regulated by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment’s (DPIE) and Hunter Water. Regular environmental monitoring occurs as part of the operation of the quarry: including noise and vibration from blasting, dust and stormwater. All environmental monitoring is carried out in accordance with our Environmental Authority and relevant Australian Standards.
Planning and approvals
Prior to Holcim’s ownership and to date, sand extraction at the quarry has operated under two primary development consents granted by Port Stephens Council in 1980 and 1992 respectively.
After acquiring the site from Sibelco Australia Pty Ltd in April 2020, Holcim undertook a review of the Salt Ash Sand Quarry’s planning and approvals. Following this review, Holcim is seeking approval for continued operations at the site through a State Significant Development (SSD) application under Part 4, Division 4.7 of the NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act).
Holcim is proposing to extract and process up to 550,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of sand at the site using both dry extraction and dredging techniques. Holcim is also proposing to import up to 200,000 tpa of sand from their other local extractive operations and Cabbage Tree Road quarry for processing at the site, resulting in a total of up to 750,000 tonnes of sand products processed and dispatched from the site per year (the project).
A development application (DA) for SSD must be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with Section 4.12(8) of the EP&A Act and the EIS must be prepared in accordance with the EP&A Regulation. Before preparing an EIS, an applicant must request the SEARs, which specify the issues to be addressed in the EIS.
A scoping report has been prepared by Element Environment Pty Limited (Element) on behalf of Holcim and submitted to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) to gain the Secretary’s environmental assessment requirements (SEARs) for the project. This scoping report identifies social and environmental factors that will require further detailed investigations as part of the environmental impact assessment that will be detailed in the EIS.
Holcim is not proposing any changes to the following as part of this project:
- Site access and transport routes
- Hours of operation
Employment at the site will grow as a result of this project providing the need for an additional four full-time roles, bringing the total direct full-time employment for the site to 14.
Community engagement
As part of the approvals process, Holcim is engaging with the local community to gain feedback on the proposed project. A project introduction letter with a link to an online survey was distributed to 125 properties in July. The letter was hand delivered and doorknock conversations were held to collect initial community feedback.
Further stakeholder engagement will be conducted as part of the EIS preparation and include the activities below, which form part of the Consultation and Communication Plan developed for the project.
Upcoming engagement actions and activities include:
- Establish a community hotline and email address
- Establish a public webpage with project and contact information
- Establish a Community Consultative Committee
- Email updates to subscribed community contacts
- Community information sessions
- Community newsletters
- Stakeholder meetings
Holcim is in the process of reviewing the Management Plans. Holcim will continue to monitor control measures.
- 2022-23 – Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) – Northern Dune
- 2021-22 – Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) – Northern Dune
- 2020 – Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) – Northern Dune
- 2020 – Annual Review – Northern Dune Extension
- 2018 – Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) – Northern Dune
- 2019 – Annual Review – Tanilba Northern Dune Extension
- 2018 – Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) – Northern Dune
Registers of community complaints for all relevant Holcim sites are available at: