Operational Updates

July 7 2020

Improvements at Sandy Point

On the 19th of June, an acoustic wall was built at Sandy Point Quarry to further minimise any potential impact that noise generated by quarrying activities may have on the local communities of both Picnic Point and Sandy Point. The new acoustic wall was fabricated on site and is positioned on the northern side of the Jaw crusher.

At Benedict we regularly monitor onsite water quality, dust, blast vibration and noise levels in an effort to continuously improve work practices on site and sustain the wellbeing of our workers and the community.

Sandy point_jaw crusher acoustic wall (2

April 23 2018

Holsworth/Menai Bushfire

On Saturday 14 April 2018, fire broke out at Casula in the south of Sydney. Strong winds spread the blaze south east towards Wattle Grove, Holsworthy, Voyager Point and Pleasure Point, eventually impacting an area of more than 3,800 hectares. The fire is thought to have been deliberately lit.

The fire reached the Benedict Industries quarry at Sandy Point on Saturday evening and the NSW Rural Fire Service dispatched two fire trucks with full crews to the site to protect the offices, workshop, mobile plant and diesel fuel storage facilities.

We would like to offer our sincerest thanks to the men and women who attended our site. Thanks to their professionalism and expertise, no damage to property or personnel was incurred. Further crews commenced backburning on Sunday morning, successfully protecting the Sandy Point and Picnic Point communities.

Benedict Industries were very proud to be able to assist the NSWRFS Aerial Firefighting Helicopters in their efforts. Our onsite dams were a crucial source of water for the Monsoon Buckets used to contain and extinguish the fires over a four day period. Over a megalitre of water was provided by our dams with helicopters queueing up to four at a time to retrieve water.

We would like to commend the NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW Fire & Rescue, the NSW Police and SES as well as the communities in the Holsworthy Menai area. An extremely hazardous situation was brought under control thanks to their skill and professionalism.

The fire is now contained however the NSWRFS will continue to monitor and undertake regular patrols of the fire ground over coming days. Smoke will continue to be visible from the area as unburnt bush, well within containment lines, continues to burn out. Smoke is also likely to settle over parts of the Sutherland Shire, Macarthur, Cumberland and Greater Sydney areas.

For additional information please contact Benedict Industries on (02) 9986 3500.

Benedict Site Manager Wayne Beattie thanks NSW Rural Fire Service

A wall of flames approaches the site

Holsworthy/Menai Fire 2018

Landmark Decisions 2017

March 22 2017: Environment Protection Authority v Benedict Industries:

All charges dropped

EPA abandons prosecution of Benedict over material used to construct bund at Sandy Point Quarry

As a family-owned and operated business, Benedict Industries - operator of Sandy Point Quarry - knows the importance of keeping the Sandy Point community updated about developments at the quarry.

Last month (see right) charges brought against Benedict, in the Land and Environment Court by Sutherland Shire over construction of the quarry bund wall, were dismissed by the presiding judge. These charges were before the Land and Environment Court for over four years in duration.

A second court action, brought by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), has now been abandoned by the EPA in Sutherland Local Court.

The EPA had commenced the prosecution on 19 February 2015, claiming Benedict was using the quarry as a waste facility by using it for the storage and disposal of waste by placing mulch material on the bund wall.

Benedict was ready to strenuously defend the charges, arguing that:

the mulch material was no different to that used on thousands of Sydney suburban gardens every year,
the material posed no environmental or health and safety risks,
the mulch material was specifically required to assist with the design and structure of the bund wall, which was built for the purpose of lawful quarrying operations, and
no further licence or lawful authority was required.

However, last week the EPA dropped all charges (over two years since it first brought the charges in the Local Court).

Sandy Point Quarry is now completely free of legal challenges and we can develop a plan to fully utilise the site that both benefits Greater Sydney and takes account of local community concerns.

Benedict Industries looks forward to continuing our good relationship with the Sandy Point Community.

February 6 2017: Sutherland Shire Council v Benedict Industries:

All charges dismissed

Court rules quarry bund wall legal; built to stop vandalism and improve safety

Recently, the NSW Land and Environment Court dismissed all charges brought by Sutherland Shire Council against Benedict in respect of the alleged unlawful construction of a bund wall around the perimeter of Lot 2 and alleged unlawful clearing of vegetation. In dismissing those charges, the Court made a series of important findings which included:

The bund wall was not built in order to dispose of waste;
The Court inferred, based on the presumption of regularity, that development consent has been granted for quarrying on Lot 2; and
The removal of trees and vegetation was ancillary to the construction of the bund

In making those findings, the Judge found, amongst other things, “without any doubt whatsoever, that Benedict constructed the bund for the purpose of securing the quarry from trespass, theft, vandalism and to ensure basic site security and safety, in addition to other purposes related to the quarrying use of the land - including water management”.

The judge also found that the material used to build the wall was not waste, and that “the material from Benedict Recycling, was not an unwanted by-product of any process at all. It was a wanted resource material”. The bund wall benefits both the community and Benedict. The Court’s decision means we can now develop a plan to better utilise the entire site.

Click here for the St George and Sutherland Shire article on the court case.

In the news

Operational Update January 2017

With these improvements completed and further works to enhance the site well underway, we are proud to announce that Sandy Point Quarry is officially re-opened. Thanks to our team, we expect to be fully-operational very soon.

Working closely with community members over the past few months has proved very valuable, particularly during our blasting activities. A technical expert from the shot blast company recently met with the Sandy Point Progress Association (SPPA) to explain the finer details of blast design and monitoring (air blast over pressure and ground vibration). Whilst blast monitoring results are continually within the prescribed Environment Protection Licence limits, active collaboration with the Quarry and SPPA means blast design parameters are being tailored to minimise any potential impacts on the local community.

Our next blast is scheduled for March 2017. We will advise the SPPA and the Community of the exact date and a red flag will be posted outside the Community Centre seven days prior to the blast being conducted.