By Kath Gannaway
An 2015 application for an exploration licence over a significant area of land around Badger Creek has been granted to Caulfield-based company Nugget and Stone Pty Ltd.
The original area was advertised as approximately 44 square kilometres, located two kilometres south of Healesville however, Healesville Sanctuary has been excised from the licence.
The Healesville Action Group which made a submission when the application was advertised three years ago received notification of the approval last week with details of the scope of the licence which confirmed that the licensee intends to explore for gold.
HAG president John Anwin said while there were some puzzling aspects to the permit there were also some very stringent conditions and it does not confer any right to start mining activities.
“The reality is, with all the conditions, it’s hard to imagine that it would come to anything,” he said.
A spokesperson for Earth Resources Regulation said under a the exploration licence Nugget and Stone Pty Ltd are permitted to undertake low-impact activities such as mapping, soil sampling and analysis of existing data, in the defined area.
“The licence area does not include the Healesville Sanctuary or come within 100 metres of the site,” he said.
“An additional work plan would need to be approved should any drilling be required in the future,” he said.
Under the conditions outlined in the letter to HAG, the licence holder must obtain consent from the owner of occupier of land to enter their land, or enter into a compensation agreement with them for any loss or damage.
They must also comply with a number of conditions around risk to the environment and property, providing a bond, consultation with the community and obtain a separate mining or prospecting licence before any mining can occur.
The Department advised that exploration licences are generally issued for five years, with the option to renew the licence usually for a further five years.
A full minerals exploration program typically takes up to five years or longer with, at best, one in 300 exploration licences proceeding to a mining operation.
Land-owners in Badger Creek and Healesville whose properties come under the exploration licence may find some reassurance in the information provided by the Department that if a significant deposit is found and a mining licence applied for, the process for approval to mine is “very rigorous” and takes years!
It would also involve “extensive consultation with communities” and members of the public have the right to lodge objections and make submissions.
The licence application is EL006005 – Nugget and Stone Pty Ltd.
For more information visit http://earthresources.vic.gov.au/earth-resources-regulation .
