I am writing to the council to express in the strongest terms how appalled I was to hear that the council was proposing to support the construction of a charcoal
manufacturing plant in the Braidwood district.
I do not currently live in the district but do own land in the shire and propose to move from Sydney to Braidwood in the next 2 years. My wife’s family has had a connection with the Braidwood area for over 100 years. My family’s proposed move from Sydney to Braidwood is a lifestyle decision. Sydney is hell bent on poisoning itself with both air and noise pollution. If one drives anywhere in Sydney at present you will have to contend with substandard roads ruined by the sheer volume of numbers and weight of vehicles they were never designed to hold.
The information I have to hand at present indicates councillors have made a very
much-uninformed decision to support the Proposal. Lack of such knowledge could
plunge Braidwood into a mire of noise and air pollution as well as a rate increase spiral upwards to cover the cost of damage to the roads and buildings.
I am not against progress but it must be in the interests of all, not just the few for profit or other short-term gain or a short-term gain for the district.
Braidwood’s future ties in supporting its farmers, attracting tourism and small local labour intensive land based industry, as well as attracting ‘clever’ industries so the district’s children not involved in farming do not have to go elsewhere to find satisfying employment. Braidwood also needs people like me who will swell the population and bring more money and employment into the town. Are tourists going to come to Braidwood when they will have to contend with a stream of heavy industry traffic? Will council have the resources to upgrade and continually maintain the roads? Will local building owners support council when they find that the vibrations caused by the increase in heavy traffic are destroying their buildings? Will the ratepayers of the district support the council when property values fall?
In the short term it will be very easy to show a gain for the district. What about 10 years hence? Will we find that the plant will have shutdown due to there being more economical ways of smelting silicone? There are other means of smelting silicone and these need to be investigated for the long term.
Will a charcoal plant be forced to close because of lack of “forest litter” to feed it? We all know of the amount of pressure there is on the forests from logging and by supporting the proposed plant we will be increasing this pressure. We will also be increasing the pressure on our own local forests as the supply from the south coast dries up. Our present logging I believe is sustainable but for how long if volume is increased? Will our local mills suddenly find timber supply is going to a charcoal plant? What happens to the 3 tonnes of waste for every 4 tonnes of timber processed?
Will our governments suddenly wake up and bite the bullet and realise that global warming is a fact of life and like it not, to survive, we are going to have to do something positive, like forcing dirty plants to close down. What happens to all the services built up in the “industrial boom” of a charcoal plant. Local businesses close down and people move away, shops close and the whole district looses the amenities. Might Braidwood be forced into become a dying community.
By attracting the right sort of industries, we can all benefit by more facilities being available. What plans do the council have for the future and how far into the future? Our councillors must stop and make sure they are fully informed about charcoal production. They must educate themselves about this proposal. The matter is of such prime importance that the decision should not be made without consultation with and support from the community. RICHARD MAXWELL JOLLEY B Const Mgt (Bld) Hons Dip Ed.
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