Quarry expansion approved
• Nabowla Quarries owners Tiana and Simon Fullbrook.
By Daisy Baker
July 17, 2019
A proposal from Nabowla Quarries to increase their quota by 30,000 cubic metres per year was approved by the Dorset Council at Monday night’s meeting.
Nabowla Quarries have been granted a permit to produce and process up to 50,000 cubic metres of rock and gravel per annum.
Owners Simon and Tiana Fullbrook said they hope the increase will enable them to supply more materials to the local community.
“It will give us the opportunity to quote or tender on bigger projects in the area,” Mr Fullbrook said.
“Dorset Council have been very supportive, and projects coming on board all the time will give us more scope to tender on.”
Mr Fullbrook said the majority of their work until now has been supplying rock and gravel to Dorset Council and Sustainable Timber Tasmania, contractors and the wider public through private sales.
Nabowla Quarries currently has 11 employees and use local contractors when needed.
Mr Fullbrook said hopefully more indirect jobs will be created for local contractors if they secure a big job in the North-East.
“Over the last three years we’ve been slowly buying more machinery so we’re basically self-sufficient now as far as producing materials,” he said.
“The major thing is we’re going to build a new workshop hopefully to do more of our own maintenance. It gives us a little bit more confidence.”
There were three representations against the development from neighbouring property owners, raising concerns about dust, noise and increased traffic created by the expansion.
These concerns were addressed in the Environmental Protection Authority’s assessment, which stipulated quarrying activities will be permitted from 7am-7pm weekdays and between 8am and 4pm on Saturdays.
A tree buffer has also been established on the boundary fence which Fullbrooks share with Bridestowe Lavender Estate, so the quarry is not visible from the tourist attraction.
Dorset Council’s conditions of approval included additional signage and line markings at the entrances on Gillespies Road and Fullbrooks Road and annual road maintenance contributions.
The Council also stated that without the prior written consent of the Director of Infrastructure, no more than seven gravel cartage truck movements per week must enter or exit the site via Gillespies Road.