Environmental Effects Statement Required for Boral's Proposed Montrose Quarry Expansion
The Victorian Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, has determined that Boral's proposed expansion of the Montrose Quarry will require a full Environmental Effects Statement (EES) - the state's most comprehensive environmental assessment process.
The Minister's decision reflects the scale of the proposed expansion and the potential for significant environmental, community, and amenity impacts. An EES will ensure that all potential consequences are thoroughly assessed, including effects on local residents, native wildlife, surrounding bushland, and long‑term land stability.
Local communities, environmental groups, and advocacy organisations have long expressed strong concerns about the proposal, including issues such as blasting impacts, dust, noise, truck movements, and the proximity of expanded extraction zones to homes, schools, and sensitive ecosystems. The requirement for an EES provides an important mechanism for these concerns to be formally examined.
The EES process will examine the full range of environmental, social, and economic impacts before any decision is made on whether the expansion can proceed. The community will have opportunities to make submissions.
Further information on the EES timetable and consultation opportunities will be released by the Department of Transport and Planning in the coming months.
Quote attributable to Member for Monbulk Daniela De Martino
"The Minister's decision requiring an Environmental Effects Statement is a great outcome and what the community and I have consistently advocated for - a comprehensive, thorough and transparent assessment process."
"The Montrose community has been clear about the impacts they are already experiencing and their fears about a larger quarry footprint. An EES is the right decision - it ensures that every environmental and community consideration is assessed in detail, and that the public has a genuine opportunity to participate in the process."
