Q. Where is Hornsby Quarry?
Hornsby Quarry is to the west of the Hornsby Central Business District with vehicular access from Dural Street. The Quarry is adjacent to residential properties to the north, Berowra Valley Regional Park to the west, Council lands within Old Mans Valley to the east and bushland owned by the Department of Sustainable Natural Resources to the south.
Q. What is Hornsby Quarry?
It's a site that was worked as a hard rock quarry from the early 1900s, operating until it became unviable to continue due to the poor quality of excavated material. Products produced included road base and gravel. The site is dominated by a large open excavation (approx.100 metres deep) with steep, exposed slopes. Previous Quarry infrastructure also remains on the site.
The surrounding area not occupied by the quarry works has varying terrain of natural scrub and bushland. There is remnant Blue Gum High Forest present in significant stands on the north and south western boundaries of the site which is categorised as an endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
The diatreme area that can be seen on the east face of the Quarry is listed on the Heritage Register of the National Estate, with the quarry described (in part) as the "largest volcanic neck in the Sydney area". The Higgins family cemetery is also located on the site and is listed as a heritage item of local significance under the Hornsby Shire Local Environmental Plan 1994. The cemetery identifies the burial of 23 people, all members of early families in the area and covers the period from 1875 to 1925.
Q. Why has Council acquired it?
The Quarry was zoned 'Greenbelt' under the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme in 1951. The site was later zoned 'Local Open Space' under the Hornsby Planning Scheme Ordinance in 1977. The State Government required that the Quarry be zoned 'Local Open Space' under the Hornsby Shire Local Environmental Plan (HSLEP) in 1994. The Open Space zoning carries with it an obligation for Council to acquire the property upon receipt of a notice in writing from the owner to do so.
In recent years, the Quarry became increasingly unviable and the then owners, CSR Limited, explored opportunities to fill the site with either waste or virgin excavated natural material. In June 2000, CSR Limited presented a report to Council titled 'Hornsby Quarry Restoration Overview Report' outlining a proposal to transport spoil from the Parramatta/Chatswood Rail Link to the Quarry site. The proposal was to take the spoil by road and/or rail to the railway land adjoining George Street, Hornsby and to discharge it into a tunnel beneath the railway line and then by conveyor across land in Old Mans Valley to Hornsby Quarry. Alternatively, road transport would convey the material directly to the Quarry via Dural Street.
Council considered the conceptual proposal at its meeting on 6 September 2000 and resolved to request the State Government not to support the landfill proposal and use of the Quarry as a preferred landfill site because material would be required to be transported to the site by road. Council's concerns were based upon the potential environmental impact of development, including difficulties of vehicular access, the negative impact on surrounding residential amenity and traffic conditions within the Hornsby Town Centre. It was estimated that approximately 1,000 truck visits per day would be generated by the proposal. Landfill was anticipated to last 20 years.
On 22 March 2001, CSR Limited served notice on Council to acquire the site. Soon after, CSR Limited again approached Council with a proposal to fill the land and rezone six hectares of the site for medium density residential development. The proposal was contained in a document titled 'Hornsby Quarry: Land Use Options and Implications - Discussion Paper August 2001'. The proposal again relied upon importing landfill to the site and was conditional upon Council entering into a Deed of Agreement between CSR Limited, Parramatta Rail Link and the State Government.
Council consulted its legal representatives who advised that it was inappropriate for Council to consider alternative land use options while the land acquisition claim by CSR Limited remained outstanding. Notice of Council's acquisition was published in the Government Gazette on 25 October 2002.