The hearing will take place on Thursday, August 21 at the Denman Memorial Hall with the PAC members to be chair Garry Payne and David Johnson and Gordon Kirkby. 

This will be the final opportunity for interested parties to comment on the Department of Planning and Environment’s assessment recommendation the project should be approved, before a decision is made. 

The Department’ recommendation is based on the retracted mine proposal released in April this year by the mine's owner Anglo American which allows for a maximum of 7million tonnes of coal being extracted each year. 

Last December the PAC chaired by Gabrielle Kibble rejected the project on the grounds that it would have adverse impacts on the two neighbouring thoroughbred horse studs - Coolmore and Darley. 

PAC had called for substantial changes to the mine plan to minimise its impacts on the studs and according to the Department’s report the retracted mine plan largely complies with the recommendations made by PAC and would significantly reduce the potential impacts of the project on the operations of the Coolmore and Woodlands (Darley) horse studs. 

In the report it is argued by the Department the two industries open cut mining and horse breeding can co-exist successfully and that the Upper Hunter Strategic Regional Land Use Plan is designed to achieve a balance in land use by not favouring one industry more than another. 

The report acknowledges there will be some visual impacts on the studs but does not consider these impacts to be significant enough to warrant further changes to the mine plan, such as excising the Redbank Pit, as this would sterilise another 19million tonnes of ROM coal (worth between $1.3-$1.5billion)and jeopardise the viability of the project as a whole. 

In its justification for the project section of the report the department says the project will result in $333million in state royalties, $152 in federal company taxes, capital investment of $485million and a net production benefit of $500million.

While the company behind the project is pleased with the department’s recommendations the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association (HTBA) say they are shocked by the Department of Planning’s recommendation for the project to proceed. 

In a submission to the department prepared by Coolmore Australia and the HTBA in response to Anglo American’s justification for the project they argue the retracted mine plan has utterly failed to comply with the PAC recommendations.

PAC said the proximity of the mine , and the Redbank pit in particular, is of concern  they say the retracted mine plan still leaves mining operations  within 500m of Coolmore and Darley studs.

“Failure to provide an appropriate buffer exposes stud to visual, blasting, noise and dust impacts and threatens the viability of their thoroughbred breeding operations and business," the submission states.

In a late response to the original mine plan the National Trust of Australia (NSW) says it has come to the attention of the National Trust that this development proposal for open cut and high wall coal mining extends into and will impact upon the National Trust’s Muswellbrook‐Jerrys Plains Landscape Conservation Area listed on the National Trust Register in August, 1984.

“The Trust seeks to have its deep concerns and opposition to the extension of this open cut coal mine into the Muswellbrook‐Jerrys Plains Landscape Conservation Area registered with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure and brought to the attention of the Planning Assessment Commission in its further deliberations on this proposal.”