News – Ongoing Issues

COUNCIL plans to spend $23 million upgrading the Scone Regional Airport to be compliant with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations being introduced in August 2020 and to develop a Warbird Aviation Attraction. The Council has received $6.2 million from the government for the Warbird Museum and a $6.5 million government grant from the drought […]

IN 100 years time when people are waiting at the level crossings on Liverpool Street and Kelly Street and they wonder why an overpass wasn’t placed in town, here is the story of how it failed to happen… IN the beginning, residents waited at the boom gates on Liverpool Street and Kelly Street in Scone […]

A controversial proposal to rezone residential blocks in Phillip Street, Scone was knocked back at the October Council meeting following considerable public pressure. The proposal to rezone sparked outrage among residents of Phillip Street who are concerned their land values will be impacted by between 10 to 30 percent and may have impacted their livability […]

AUSTRALIAN Pacific Coal, the owners of the underground Dartbrook coal mine, located approximately four kilometres west of Aberdeen, are considering challenging a decision made by the Independent Planning Commission not to grant a licence extension for the mine. In August, the Independent Planning Commission approved modifications to restart the mine using bord-and-pillar methods instead of […]

INVESTIGATIONS are continuing for the Muswellbrook West mine with the project not expected to be operational until the early to mid-2020s. In the mine plan Idemitsu Australia Resources presented to the gateway panel the mine is projected to have a production rate of 15 million tonnes per annum of thermal coal during a 30 year […]

SCONE is fortunate to have a new aged care facility being built on Gundy Road, with the first 16 bed dementia specific wing completed in July this year and $22 million invested into the facility to date. There are several wings to the building which will be opened as the number of residents increase. Each […]

CURRENTLY the Upper Hunter Shire Council does not add fluoride to local water supplies. While the Council passed a motion to add fluoride to the town water supplies of Scone, Aberdeen, Merriwa, Cassilis and Murrurundi in July 2014, it will not occur until new infrastructure is built. In 2014, the Council called for community submissions […]

A BYPASS is planned for Scone as part of a solution for the railway level crossing issues. In December 2015, the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) published a review of environmental factors (REF) for the bypass, which is open for public review until February 19, 2016. The RMS is holding drop in sessions at the […]

THE proposed solution for the railway level crossing issues in Scone is a bypass and an in town rail bridge. The Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) published the initial designs for the in-town rail bridge in December 2015, which will be open for public consultation until February 19, 2016. Construction of the bypass is planned […]

THE township of Scone is cut in half by a railway line and currently there is no way to circumvent the rail crossings at Liverpool Street and Kelly Street, leaving residents and emergency services waiting for trains to pass. There are plans with the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) to build a bypass around the […]

THERE have been ongoing community concerns related to the Scone meatworks including pollution, the use of international workers and safety standards.   POLLUTION Local residents often report a foul odour from the meatworks, like the smell of fermenting dog food and depending on the weather conditions it can be smelt throughout the township. There have […]