Green light for Great Southern lime pit

A proposal by Denmark local, Graeme Robertson to extract up to 50,000 tonnes of lime from the peninsula was originally refused by the City of Albany Council in 2017, but Mr Robertson appealed the decision through the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

The City of Albany Council said its rejection was based on the fact that it determined the lime pit was at odds with the general objectives of the Conservation Zone and the environmental and social amenity of the area, while 69 of 75 public submissions also objected or raised concerns with the extraction industry.

In early January this year, SAT set aside the Albany Council’s decision and granted development approval to the lime pit subject to 45 conditions relating to issues such as the environment, traffic, noise, dust, fire risk and compliance.

Mr Robertson said he purchased the Nullaki peninsula from the Bond Corp in 1987, and at the time Bond was endeavouring to create a standard 2000 lot residential subdivision on the land.

“I set about rezoning the 2000 hectares to a landscape conservation zone,” Mr Robertson said.

“This was originally opposed by the then Shire, but my commitment to build 20 kilometres of sealed road from the Youngs Siding intersection to Anvil Beach and erect seven kilometres of vermin proof fence as a commitment to subdivide the land into 50 x 40ha lots got the existing structure plan and rezoning approved.”

While subdivision took place on the western end of the peninsula, there are 11 approved lots or 480ha on the eastern end, where the lime pit would be located that was still on hold.

“Under the new fire regulations, the final 11 lots as reflected by the approved structure plan on the remaining 480ha, which had previously been issued subdivision approval, was rejected by the Planning Commission but supported by the City of Albany,” Mr Robertson said.

“As the instigator of the conservation zone, I had to be convinced that the 11 lots which could accommodate 22 houses and outbuildings which together with access roads would result in permanent clearing of 22ha, whereas the lime pit of 20ha at any one time would only cover 3ha on a temporary basis with the end result being total restoration of the 20ha.

“Not to mention the saving on the transport requirements and road damage from long haul of lime from the west coast.

“With the change to fire regulations there has to be two access roads in and out of the peninsula.

“So I had a look at it and found we could extend a road that runs to Lake Sadie and the South Coast Highway to the east of the property with the road reserve finishing right on our eastern boundary, so that is where the trucks can come through to pick up lime.

“It means we have to build a kilometre of road from scratch and seal four kilometres of it.

“Once we discovered this, I decided to have another crack at getting the extraction permit.”

Mr Robertson said he had always known there was a huge lime deposit on the property. 

“When I bought the land back in 1987, there was a lime kiln and a lime quarry already there,” he said.

“And when we got on to building the roads when we subdivided the land out there, because there is no die-back on the peninsula and some very large growths of banksia thickets – the feeding habitat of the black cockatoo – I undertook not to import any foreign soil or gravel on the site and to use limestone quarried on-site for all roadworks.

“So we ended up with three quarries as we built the roads and we took out 100,000 tonnes of lime. 

“As this was to be used on the property, no permit was required.

“The contractor at the time helping us with the roads reckoned it was the same quality (at about 80 per cent soluble calcium) as what was coming out of the existing Denmark pit.

“So we took some samples and had it tested and it was confirmed as “A grade ag lime”.

“I then went and met with the Department of Agriculture and was informed of the great need for lime in the region and the department strongly supported the application to extract it to have a resource like this centrally located in the Albany shire.

“As far back as 2006 I have been approached by farmers in the Great Southern who were aware of the vast lime deposits on the Nullaki peninsula and were trucking the majority of the 300,000 tonnes required annually in the area from Margaret River.”

Access to the lime pit will take place between December and March, with Mr Robertson saying this would be to coincide with farmers trucking grain to Albany port and allowing them to backload lime.

“We have applied to extract 50,000 tonnes a year at this stage,” he said.

“This would mean 14 trucks a day during December through to March.

“The lime would be crushed out of solid rock and so the aim is to grind it down to 3mm, as the advice I am getting suggests that 3mm goes into the soil a lot quicker than sand does.

“Now I need some sort of indication in our service area as to how much lime farmers may be after. 

“We have approval to extend the road through as a compacted limestone gravel road, but we have to seal it if we take out more than 20,000t a year.

“If I can see that we can take out 50,000t in the first year, then it would be more economical to finish the road, seal it and it is done.”

Mr Robertson said the whole approval process was costly in terms of legal and consultant fees as will be the roadworks.

“But the amount of lime there is a resource that could go on forever,” he said.

“I think the SAT decision is a win-win situation. 

“It is a win for farmers in the Great Southern by providing a natural resource that will save them approximately 50pc on their cost of obtaining first grade agricultural lime in the Great Southern and a win for the environment with a maximum of 3ha cleared on a temporary basis in lieu of the 21ha recommended approval by the City to accommodate the 11 lots that have previously had subdivision approval and an approved Structure Plan.”

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