Council seeks new mine deal

Narrabri Shire Council will seek a revised Voluntary Planning Agreement between the shire and Whitehaven Coal’s Vickery mine.

A VPA is an agreement under which a developer agrees to provide or fund infrastructure or services.

Council has been in discussion with Whitehaven for some time to reach agreement on a VPA for the Vickery mine.

On Thursday, the council held an Extraordinary meeting in Boggabri to consider the latest Vickery VPA offer from Whitehaven.

Five Boggabri speakers addressed the meeting to express their concerns about community impacts of mining and the amount of the VPA.

“Council had previously rejected an offer of $3.069 million from Whitehaven, who responded with a revised offer of $2.712m, or around $108,000 for each year the mine will operate” the council said in a statement.

“Council heard considered representations from members of the Boggabri community who unanimously supported Council’s position to reject the reduced VPA offer.

“After hearing from the community at consultation sessions in September as well as at yesterday’s Council Meeting, Council resolved to request a revised VPA offer of $14.87m from Whitehaven for community projects in Boggabri and $7.46m for the upgrade of Braymont Road.”

Narrabri Shire Mayor, Cathy Redding moved the motion with an additional point 7 ‘that if Council is unable to negotiate an acceptable VPA by November 8, a further report be presented to Council outlining an assessment of community benefit from the project, if any, in the absence of a VPA.’

The unanimously supported  resolution was met with applause from the packed public gallery at the Boggabri Golf Club.

“I want the Boggabri community to know that we will continue to stand united and we will continue to strongly support you” the mayor said at the conculsion of the meeting.

A leading member of the community responded by thanking the Council, stating ‘that the Boggabri community was also united behind Council.’

“If a VPA cannot be reached with Whitehaven, the further report I requested will provide the opportunity for Council to consider whether the project is in the public interest.

“Put quite simply, Whitehaven needs to treat the Boggabri community and Narrabri Shire with the respect they deserve and not like a doormat to the mines” Cr Redding said after the meeting.

“The Boggabri community feel as though they have not benefitted as they should have with the presence of mining.

“Whitehaven has a golden opportunity to correct this with this VPA.”

“The Planning Commission has an obligation to protect the Boggabri community and ensure that Vickery delivers a net community benefit for Boggabri.

“I intend to make sure that they fulfil this obligation.

“We have stood shoulder to shoulder with the community from day one on Vickery.

“We called the Planning Commission to account when they originally proposed to only hold one public hearing in Gunnedah.”

A subsequent public hearing on the Vickery project is still to be called by the Planning Commission, the mayor added.

“It is now time for Council to take these issues to the NSW Government and the Independent Planning Commission and to consider whether, in the absence of a fair and equitable VPA, Vickery would provide a sufficient community benefit to Boggabri” Cr Redding said.