Hawkeswood Mining Ltd is seeking resource consent for a quarry to run alongside its mining operation. It will cover 15ha and will include a processing plant, stockpiling area, unsealed customer loadout and a rehabilitation area.
The company has applied for the consents to be non-notified but some Millers Flat residents say it should go to a hearing.
Millers Flat resident Lucy McConway said her major concern was the operator was trying to get the consent through without public input.
"It is going to have quite a big impact on the little Millers Flat township. We need everyone to know what is going on," she aid.
She said the company was being somewhat sly in not explaining the possibility of a quarry when applying for the gold mine.
‘I haven’t understood all about the water. They’ve got to rinse all the gravel and stuff. There’s water going to be there and whether there is an effect on our town supply water, which is from a bore further down in the township, I don’t know.
"That’s why I think our little town needs to be told about what they’re planning because it has effects on everyone here."
Another Millers Flat resident, who declined to give her name, questioned whether the Millers Flat bridge could handle all the truck movements. The village would be impacted with all the trucks on the road.
"We have no information from them... no details and when it is going to happen," she said.
"The roads are absolutely shocking as it is. The increase in the dust is phenomenal. Our windows are black from all the dust.
"People are really worked up about this."
The progress of the quarry would move in a north-south direction and run alongside the processing of the gold mine.
The application seeks consent to accumulate and sell 100,000cu m of gravel a year and a maximum of 100 truck movements a day. The operation would be from 7am-7pm, Monday to Saturday, and closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Mr Hawkeswood said he only considered opening the quarry, when approached by the Central Otago District Council and Fulton Hogan, who wanted to use the gravel and aggregate produced by the gold mine.
He doubted truck movements would get anywhere near 100 a day and said it was more likely to be about 10 a day. The company only applied for 100 should it somehow happen but it was not likely to occur.
It was the company’s preference to have the consent non-notified but if it went to a hearing it would attend.
"But that comes at a cost. We are doing this more as a public service than a money-making thing. Instead of the gravel for the area coming from Alexandra or somewhere we can make it here.
"That is saving money for the ratepayer. Any money we make out of it we will give it to a community trust."
He said some people would always disagree with what they did and that was their right.
The consents have been lodged with Otago Regional Council and Central Otago District Council.
Regional council consents manager Alexandra King said the applicant had not requested public notification. The consent is being assessed.
The district council said it had received the application. It is on hold pending written approval requests to affected parties.
