The rehabilitation of two defunct quarries on the NSW South Coast has been fast-tracked by the Independent Planning Commission, making way for a “once-in-a-generation” urban transformation.
The IPC recommended that rehabilitation works at Bombo Quarry in Kiama, 30km south of Wollongong, be declared a State Significant Development (SSD).
Although the project does not meet State Environmental Planning Policy thresholds, the IPC found the project held “broader significance” and warranted state-level assessment.
This allows it to bypass council assessment processes and puts the $127.5-million project on the fast-track.
Site owners Boral and the NSW Transport Asset Manager are planning site rehabilitation works for two hard rock quarries, deeming them long past their economic life, to make way for a major housing project.
Draft masterplans outline a potential 2000 homes, as well as tourism and employment uses on the 108.25ha site, 300m from Bombo train station and 110km from Sydney CBD.
Boral has operated the hard rock quarry on site since 1972, owning a 46ha portion of the precinct land, but started winding down operations on the site in 2014.
The NSW Transport Asset Manager holds more than 58ha, and smaller portions are owned by the Crown and Kiama Council.
The planned precinct could deliver a diversity of homes, including townhouses, apartments and low-density homes, with a percentage of affordable homes.
While part of the quarry is still operational, the NSW Transport Asset Holding Entity and Boral are planning for its long-term future, they said, creating a new community for the Kiama region over the next 20 years.
But the project would be a considerable undertaking, requiring the filling in of the “degraded” quarry sites which have reached the end of their economic lives for a “final landform for future use as housing”.
Works would import up to 2.5 million cubic metres of material, enough to fill 1000 Olympic swimming pools, over five years to fill in the quarries. It would require up to 39,750 truck movements a year or 150 a day.
While not part of the landowner’s call-in request to put the project on the State Significant pathway, rezoning of the land will be required.
It is currently zoned for primary production, with some smaller sections of low-density residential and environmental conservation.
A planning proposal and SSDA will be lodged this year to kickstart the rezoning, with decisions expected in 2026.
Major manufacturer landowners have been considering their assets in recent years as historical manufacturing activities come to an end.
Bluescope’s Port Kembla 200ha steelworks rezoning plans were fast-tracked this year, and quarries across the country are being repurposed for residential, including a 1800-home plan for a site south-west of Brisbane by Frasers Property.
