The government is proposing to apply a pre-development application gateway process to state significant mining and coal seam gas proposals that are located on or within two kilometres of areas mapped as strategic agricultural land.

The Doyles Creek project lies in the area outlined by the Upper Hunter Strategic Regional Land Use Plan.

“The department has developed a policy that sets out the interim arrangements for mining and coal seam gas proposals on strategic agricultural land until the draft SRLUP is finalised,” the director general of planning and infrastructure said in his recommendations to NuCoal.

“This policy requires you to prepare an agricultural impact statement as part of your development application and EIS that specifically assesses the impacts of the proposal on strategic agricultural land, having regard to the draft gateway criteria in the draft SRLUP.”

On February 28 NuCoal submitted a 96 page project overview document, prepared by Parsons Brickerhoff, to the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure.

The submitted report identified that the Doyles Creek underground mine and training school would deliver major economic benefits through the creation of 300 direct jobs and payment of substantial royalties to the NSW state government during its expected 30 years of operation, NuCoal managing director Glen Lewis said.

“The issue of the [director-general's recommendations] by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure is another significant milestone for NuCoal as the Doyles Creek project continues to move along the NSW Planning Approvals system,” he said.