Beerburrum quarry defeated

Quarry campaigners victorious

Members of local environmental groups Beerburrum Action Group and Glasshouse Mountains Advancement Network Inc (GMAN) at the council meeting

The triumphant cheers from inside the Sunshine Coast Council chambers at Caloundra could be heard all the way to Beerburrum last Thursday when council voted against approving the controversial quarry proposal for the town.

After a two-year campaign by locals, councillors overwhelmingly supported the Beerburrum community in rejecting the development approval to open up a new hard rock quarry on the outskirts of the township.

The situation appeared dire after council planning staff recommended the quarry be approved but the Beerburrum Action Group, supported by the Glasshouse Mountains Advancement Network, weren’t having any of that.

After all their hard work, they weren’t going to falter at the last hurdle.

A campaign of emailing the Mayor Mark Jamieson and all the councillors resulted in the decision to reject the application being an impressive five votes for and one against, with a number of councillors either missing the meeting or excused due to conflicts of interest.

Local Councillor Rick Baberowski was instrumental in gaining council support for Beerburrum’s community.

“The decision of council to support my refusal motion means that the Beerburrum community can have greater confidence in their revitalisation plan for the town; a safer future based on its brilliant natural and social history attributes,” said Cr Baberowski.

Next week, GC&M News will take a look at how the campaign came about and the unexpected positives it has brought to Beerburrum.