Heidelberg Materials Australia has secured court approval to increase hard rock production at the Glass House quarry on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
This news follows amid national law firm Holding Redlich reporting the successful proceedings in the Planning and Environment Court, allowing deeper extraction and higher tonnage outputs at the hard rock quarry.
The ruling allows Heidelberg to ramp up its annual raw material extraction from 600,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes. The approved quarrying depth extends from the former 18m above sea level to 48m below sea level.
Holding Redlich says the judgment now stands without an application for leave to appeal.
The proceedings, Hanson Construction Materials Pty Ltd v Sunshine Coast Regional Council & Ors, concerned Sunshine Coast Council’s deemed refusal of an application to increase quarry production through deeper extraction limits within a reduced footprint and higher tonnage outputs.
The judgment represents the first contested major hard rock quarry case to have been successful in Queensland in a decade, marking a step forward for the extractive industry and broader Queensland development and infrastructure sectors.
Holding Redlich partner Wendy Evans says the matter involved some of the “most complex and heavily contested issues” that can arise in planning and environment litigation.
“The proceedings involved multiple parties, extensive expert evidence and strongly contested issues, but the outcome demonstrates that even the most complex planning and environment litigation can be run efficiently and with integrity,” Evans says.
Heidelberg Materials is one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions, with market positions in cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Main image: Heidelberg Materials Australia
