Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Council Approves Extractive Industry

On 22 June 2016, the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Council granted development approval to mine 514,500 m3 of sand and grit from Bramley, within the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, for a period of ten years.

The proposed site is adjacent to major road routes and can service the townships of Cowaramup, Gracetown and Margaret River.  The Council’s development approval decision will inject approximately 725,500 Tonnes of sand and grit into the local construction industry.  The development approval of the mine will ensure new building projects will be able to source clean fill within Shire boundaries rather than hauling sand resources south from the City of Busselton.  It is hoped that the development approval will reduce earthworks costs for future building developments in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.  During the Council meeting, Architect Stuart Threadgold addressed Councillors, saying, “…Locally, the green credentials of this project are unsurpassed and any suggestions to the contrary are simply false.  The proposed extractive industry synergises with the existing bluegum plantation which is currently being harvested.  The extractive industry will transform a property which will be left desolate and unusable with bluegum stumps at two and a half metre centres and will eventually rehabilitate the site to pasture after the pit is closed…”

Architect Stuart Threadgold further advised Council, “…The proposed pit is equal distances to the development nodes of Cowaramup, Gracetown and Margaret River and approving this pit will reduce the embodied energy of future building projects, land subdivisions and roads within the Shire as well as the on-going supply of concrete through Holcim in Margaret River.  It is intended the pit shall supply grit to the Margaret River Holcim concrete plant, clean fill for slab-on-ground construction and sub-base for new roads and land sub-divisions.  Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and product delivery and a key indicator of a building’s green credentials.  Prior to this development approval for an extractive industry, Busselton Civil and Plant has hauled sand from pits in Kaloorup and Treeton in the City of Busselton for buildings, roads and sub-divisions located in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River – adding to the cost of Margaret River building projects and vastly increasing the carbon footprint of every building constructed within the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River…”

Reference & Main Image Reference: http://www.amrshire.wa.gov.au/library/file/1Council/Meetings/2016Council_Meetings/SD%20Attachments(7).pdf

• Architect Busselton
• Architect Margaret River
• Bramley
• Busselton Civil and Plant
• Bussiness Zone
• City of Busselton
• Cowaramup
• Gracetown
• Holcim
• Margaret River
• Shire of Augusta-Margaret River
• Stuart Threadgold
• Threadgold Architecture

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