Dartbrook Coal Mine Modifjcation 7 IPC Presentation - Visual and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Dartbrook Coal Mine Modifjcation 7 IPC Presentation - Visual and Landscape Character Impacts

Michael Wright

April 2019

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Mine Authorisation Boundary

IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE

DARTBROOK COAL MINE

• Upper Hunter and Sedgenhoe Valleys are Rural

and Highly Scenic without coal mining activities

• Proposed Dartbrook Mine Modifjcation is the

most northerly mine in the Hunter and extends into this highly scenic and valuable landscape

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AGRICULTURAL VALUES

• Landscape recognised by, and is fundamental

to, the designation of Equine Critical Industry Cluster

• Broad river fmats
• Rich and deep alluvial soils
• Abundant water supply
• Steeply undulating slopes
• Mild climate
• Ideal landscapes for horse breeding studs which

are displayed in white on the adjoining map

WOLLEMI NATIONAL PARK

BUREEN JAMES RANGE DOYLES CREEK UPPER ROUCHEL JERRYS PLAINS MOUNT PLEASANT APPLETREE RIDGE LIDDELL POWER STATION BAYSWATER POWER STATION SCONE SATUR DENMAN ABERDEEN SINGLETON MUSWELLBROOK

Equine Critical Industry Cluster Coal Titles - Active Coal Mines National Park

IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE

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VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Australian Pacific Coal Limited June 2018

MODIFICATION 7 Environmental Assessment

• One (1) paragraph on visual impact assessment plus 2 photos
• “No private residences in the vicinity”
• “The New England Highway is the only public area affected”
• “Visual effect low”
• No mention of 192 B-Double truck movements every 3.5

minutes for 11 hours, or the impacts at the Kayuga Entry or coal handling facility at East Site

Environmental Assessment Report Mod 7 (AQC) - June 2018

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Australian Pacific Coal Limited August 2018

MODIFICATION 7 Response to Submissions

• 2 pages on visual impact assessment plus 1 map
• Focuses on shaft shed with inadequate assessment of truck

movements, stockpiles and other facilities

• Private houses not property assessed - only 1 house identifjed as

being impacted

• Incorrectly states that other houses are screened by topography
• r vegetation
• Local roads or streets were not assessed

Response to Submission Report (AQC) - August 2018

VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

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• Visual impacts are not mentioned in the report
• “Social impacts actually experienced would be more akin to a

new mine”

Assessment Report (DPE) - January 2019

VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

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Public Road Private Road Train Line

Aberdeen

Rail loop & CHPP

Blairmore Lane I n v e r m e i n S t New England Highway Dartbrook Road

Hunter River Dartbrook H u n t e r R i v e r

Abercairney Crescent Kayuga

• National Highway -

New England Highway

• Main Regional rail line -

Main Northern Rail Line

• 3 Local rural roads
• Local Streets in

Aberdeen

Haul Road Unfjltered views Filtered views

PUBLIC AREAS

200 500 1000 2000 metres

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Houses Houses with clear views

Aberdeen

Rail loop & CHPP

Blairmore Lane Invermein St N e w E n g l a n d H i g h w a y Dartbrook Road

Hunter River Dartbrook Hunter River

Kayuga

• 30 houses (approx.) in

vicinity of the project

• 15 houses (approx.)

have views of proposed mining activities

• 6 houses between

120m to 1200m have clear views of proposed mining activities

H a u l R

• a

d

PRIVATE AREAS

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Public Road Private Road Train Line

• Shaft Shed + New

Access Road

• No footprint

dimensions

• Haul Trucks - 192
• neway trips
• 7am-6pm (1 every

3.5min) (11 hours a day)

• Kayuga entry area
• Stockpile ROM 8m

high

• Haul truck parking

and service facilities

• Coal handling and

stockpiles at East Site

Aberdeen Road Haul

Blairmore Lane Invermein St New England Highway Dartbrook Road

Hunter River Dartbrook H u n t e r R i v e r

Abercairney Crescent Kayuga

Kayuga Entry Shaft Shed East Site Rail loop & CHPP

VISUAL EFFECTS

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New England Highway Main Northern Rail Line House near Aberdeen House near Aberdeen Aberdeen - Abercairney Crescent Kayuga - Invermein St Houses in Kayuga Houses in Kayuga Dartbrook Road 240m 400m 1200m 1200m 1300m 500m 500m 500m 150m

Distances to nearest Mining Activity (metres)

Rail loop & CHPP

Blairmore Lane Invermein St N e w E n g l a n d H i g h w a y Dartbrook Road

Hunter River Dartbrook H u n t e r R i v e r

Abercairney Crescent

Viewpoints Haul Road Kayuga Entry Shaft Shed

1 1 2 2 3 4 5 3 4 6 7 8 5 6 9 7 8 9

Public Road Private Road Train Line

Aberdeen

VIEWPOINTS

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INDIRECT VISUAL IMPACTS

Radiance Gradient (10 W / cm sr) Dark-Sky Rural Areas Rural Sky Suburban Sky Mining Activity Bright Suburban Sky Urban / Industrial Sky 0.40 1.00 3.00 9.00 20.00 >40.00

Aberdeen Muswellbrook Hebden Mangoola Scone Howick

• Light pollution a signifjcant and

daily indirect visual impact on the areas close to mining

• Mines in a suburban to urban /

industrial sky

• Rural areas outside of

Aberdeen and Scone are in a dark to rural sky

• Dartbrook mine facilities

are visible in this image even though the mine was inactive at the time of the photo

• Therefore when active, the

mine will be yellow and red and much brighter.

Source: www.lightpollutionmap.info, Earth Observation Group, NOAA National Geophysical Data Center - Image Date: 2015

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MITIGATION

• Tree Screening cannot be relied upon to provide a permanent visual barrier
• Existing tree plantings are varied in health and density
• Over time, the tree canopies will grow above the eyeline, exposing the mining activities to

passing travellers on the Highway and Rail Line.

• Existing tree screens opposite the shaft

shed site are growing slowly and with large gaps

• Existing tree screens on the

embankment next to the rail line

• pposite the shaft shed site are in poor

condition and quite transparent

• An example of maturing tree screens

demonstrating the transparency as the canopies grow taller

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CONCLUSION

• Visual impact has been overlooked throughout this assessment process
• EA - inadequate Visual Impact Assessment - lacking detail and overlooks sensitive receivers
• DPE requests Social Impact Assessment including visual impact assessment
• Response to Submissions Report - inadequate /understates impacts
• DPE Assessment Report does not mention Visual Impact and yet states that the ‘Modifjcation 7’ is to

be assessed as being “akin to a new mine”

• The proposed mining activities including 192 truck movement per day across the open rural

fmoodplain, large buildings and stockpiles, and 24/7 activities at East Site, will create a signifjcant visual impact on the rural character of the valley

• The Upper Hunter Valley landscapes and agricultural land uses need to be protected from the visual

impacts of coal mining.