Mill not being fast-tracked

By Brian Wood
Updated November 9 2012 - 11:40am, first published October 14 2003 - 6:48am

THE Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Planning NSW will have to give the go ahead before work on a new timber mill near Bathurst can begin., Allied Timber Products (ATP) plans to invest $12 million in the district to establish the mill at a site near the Great Western Highway at Raglan., Last week State Forests announced they had finalised an agreement with ATP to supply 90,000 tonnes of pine sawlogs a year for the new sawmill., However, this raised concerns from Raglan resident Paul Comiskey who owns a property adjoining the proposed site., He claims the project is being-fast tracked by Bathurst City Council without regard for the rights of concerns of the local community., "This might be an appropriate time for the mayor to consider his position in this matter and call for an independent Environmental Impact Study (EIS),” Mr Comiskey said., "If this is not done, I would confidently predict the project will steamroll the rights of the local community ... all with the blessing of a majority of Bathurst City councillors who are supposed to 'serve' us.”, Council's director of planning and development David Shaw said yesterday the EIS should take about six months to complete., "There is no suggestion we are fast-tracking this project,” Mr Shaw said. , "An EIS into the new mill is being prepared, after which it will go on public display for comment., "Part of this process includes Planning NSW and the EPA having a close look at the development to ensure any concerns they have are addressed fully,” he said., "Council just can't go and give it the green light, it just doesn't work like that.” , If approved, the new ATP mill would be a state-of-the-art timber processing plant, representing a further extension of the major economic benefits already flowing from the long-term investment in region's pine plantation resource., It is expected 25 permanent new jobs would be created from the mill which is one of a series of new timber processing projects flowing from the successful tender of an additional 250,000 tonnes of softwood logs annually from State Forests pine plantations located around Bathurst, Orange, Lithgow and Oberon., Combined, these projects are expected to generate regional investment of more than $18 million and around 90 new direct jobs.

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