Residents oppose Rosewood Eco Park proposal

The 15 hectare site at Rosewood Road, west of Wauchope, is earmarked for a three-stage development called Rosewood Eco Park.

A disused quarry is currently the site's focal point.

A fact sheet, released during the proposed development's early community engagement, shows a resource recovery facility is planned in stage one to receive, sort and process construction and demolition material into value-added recycled products.

That will be followed by remediation of the quarry void which includes progressively filling the quarry void with soils from the recycling process. The quarry will be capped and revegetated.

The final stage proposes establishment of captive breeding sites for native species and a koala feed tree plantation.

The fact sheet outlines the proposal and the planning and approval process.

It says the project is considered a state significant development and cites the Independent Planning Commission as the consent authority.

Lynne Michelle, speaking on behalf of Rosewood residents, raised objections to the proposal during a Port Macquarie-Hastings Council public forum.

"We are very concerned about the potential impacts of the resource recovery facility (stage one) and remediation of the quarry void (first part of stage two)," she said.

"Put simply, this is the wrong place for such a facility and filling the quarry void raises additional concerns."

Ms Michelle outlined residents' key concerns as potential contamination of drinking water, increase in heavy vehicle traffic through Wauchope and the Rosewood rural community, and risks associated with bringing in waste products from outside the area.

Information about the development proposal is available on specialist infrastructure and planning consulting firm Jackson Environment and Planning's website.

The website said Brooks Community Engagement led early community engagement work on behalf of the site owner, Rosewood Corporation Holdings, and Jackson Environment and Planning has been engaged to conduct early planning and scoping to inform the proposal.

"The Rosewood Eco Park will help restore and return a degraded quarry site into revegetated land to benefit the local community," the website said.

Brooks Community Engagement provided a statement on behalf of its client.

"The Rosewood Eco Park development is at an early stage of planning only," the statement said.

"No work is occurring at the site.

"Early community engagement commenced in July to seek community views on the proposal."

The statement said more engagement with the community will occur in due course.

Rosewood residents are gearing up to fight the development plan.

Quinton and Susan Weston live 600 metres away from the old quarry site.

"We moved from Sydney to get away from noise, pollution and traffic," Mrs Weston said.

"I think this [development] will impact our lives greatly."

Nearby resident Denis Dwyer's concerns include increased traffic and noise.

He said the development would mean more trucks travelling through Wauchope and along Rosewood Road.

"Surely, there must be other uses for the old quarry," Mr Dwyer said.

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