Shadforths abandon quarry fight

Landsborough quarry plans abandoned

A development application to build a new quarry at Landsborough on a parcel of land known as Alf’s Hill (or Alf’s Mountain), between Hapgood Road and the Bruce Highway, was made to Sunshine Coast Council in 2017.

Surrounded by state forest and national park, the 64 hectare parcel of land is owned by civil construction company Shadforth Industries and is currently zoned as rural.

The planned haulage route, taking around 100 trucks a day, would traverse some internal forestry roads, onto Hapgood Road, then via Forestry Road and Dianella Road to join the Bruce Highway at the new Bells Creek interchange.

In May last year, the council refused the application on a number of grounds including impacts to vegetation, fauna, hydrology and visual amenity.

Council also considered that as the area was flagged as a ‘further investigation area’ (where the proposed Beerwah East urban expansion would occur) it was an incompatible land use under the planning scheme.

Not happy with this decision, Shadforth started a legal battle with council in the Planning and Environment Court to have the council decision overturned.

In an unexplained move, the lawyers for Shadforth recently discontinued the proceedings and abandoned plans to establish the quarry.

Shadforth Industries was contacted for comment.