Wollar residents have been dealt a devastating blow after the NSW Planning Assessment Commission approved the expansion of the Wilpinjong coal mine.
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| Wilpinjong coal mine [Picture: The Herald]. |
The state government and Department of Planning approved the expansion despite receiving 284 objections to the proposal.
Bev Smiles, from the Wollar Progress Association, slammed the Department of Planning's assertion that the decline of Wollar - in the Upper Hunter - is "inevitable even without mining".
"It's not based on any facts," she said.
"It's convenience for them not to recognise, the Department of Planning themselves, with their approval over the last 10 years of major expansions of this coal mine have caused the demise of the Wollar community.
Ms Smiles says the Peabody-controlled mine has slowly eroded the small community, with only three independent properties left in the town.
She says the rest of the town, including the churches, general store and numerous other properties are owned by Peabody.
"What we have left in our community is a number of isolated properties that are totally stranded. The people, including myself, have been economically disadvantaged by the decision making of the NSW Government," she said.
"That economic disadvantage and the social injustice in the Wollar community has not been recognised at all in the Planning Assessment report or by the Department of Planning.
"We [the Wollar community] believe this decision ... is a very socially unjust decision."
