Burdett Sands – Boggy Creek Biodiversity Corridor
TARA KINSMAN, Compliance Manager for Burdett Sands and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) report on the Quarry Transformation Grant.
The WA at Quarry Rd, Langwarrin is currently nearing an end to quarrying. Burdetts are preparing for rehabilitation and exploring potential future uses such as materials recycling and reuse opportunities.
The Quarry Transformation Grant program was set up by the Minister for Resources in 2022 to support industry in planning for and implementing innovative end land uses for quarries that are beneficial to the local community.
We decided to apply for the Grant after Andrew Burdett, Owner/Managing Director, read about it in an article in the Quarry Magazine and challenged the team to identify a suitable opportunity that would apply to the proposed rehabilitation of the Burdetts Quarry Rd Langwarrin site.
When we were first notified in June 2022 that our application to the Victorian Government under the Quarry Transformation Grant program was successful, we were a little shocked as we really did not expect this outcome.
We selected the Boggy Creek corridor as a potential transformation project. Little Boggy Creek (Boggy Creek) is an existing Melbourne Water managed drainage easement located in the south-east of Melbourne and intersects the site from Quarry Road through to McClelland Drive.
We had previously met with Frankston City Council to discuss the provision of land as part of a Section 173 Agreement. During these discussions, Council expressed that they may have an interest in the Boggy Creek easement.
Our initial thinking was that we could develop a concept plan for this zone which might appeal to the Council as part of future negotiations. The environmental condition of Boggy Creek had been identified to be degraded.
Burdetts have adopted the use of Geotubes, (made from a tightly woven polymer fabric similar to the material used in landfill liners) to store and consolidate slimes generated by the sand washing process.
As we started to investigate the opportunity to transform this corridor, we found that Frankston City Council have a Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2036 (July 2021) in which they advocate for connecting reserves and green spaces to provide corridors one of which links the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve with the Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve. This is a Priority Corridor and appears to intersect the project site or its borders. There is currently no public access to this section of the Boggy Creek environs and Quarry Road. Transformation of the Boggy Creek environs would provide for a wildlife corridor and public open space for cycling and walking.
The $50K grant provided Burdetts with an opportunity to invest in the development of concept plans which would provide us with an idea of how a biodiversity corridor could be realised.
The purpose of the Boggy Creek Biodiversity Corridor Plan is to develop a vision for the transformation of the Boggy Creek environs that is underpinned by biodiversity objectives, to inform future stakeholder engagement with local government, agencies and adjacent landholders. The plan highlights how the creek corridor could be rehabilitated to support the local community by providing walking and cycling trails, create habitat for flora and fauna via identification of target species, and repair a missing link to the surrounding existing nature reserves and green links.
Whilst the rehabilitation of the overall WA site will take time, the transformation of the Boggy Creek biodiversity corridor at a later date would add value to the area, providing a potential corridor linking the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve to the Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve in the longer term.
It will hopefully, along with the neighbouring quarries join The Pines Flora and Fauna link with the Little Boggy Creek Reserve.
This will benefit the local community and the environment in the years to come and be a legacy of the Burdett family and those who worked to make the operation successful over many years.
Burdett Sands was a founding member of the CMPA back in 2000 and Andrew has been an active supporter of the CMPA being on the CMPA Management Committee for the last 9 years. CMPA are always on hand to offer their skills, support and experience which has greatly helped Burdett Sands to continue moving forward and improve. The combined wealth of knowledge shared by quarry and supplier businesses through training and meetings is invaluable.
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