On Thursday night, councillors gave Dean Brus consent to process the timber sleepers within the next 10 years to be onsold to landscaping businesses and nurseries. 

With the report pointing out work had already started without consent, Mr Brus said it was an honest mistake and once the council told him he needed to submit a development application, he did so.

“At the time I couldn’t see a problem relocating hardwood timber sleepers from within the catchment area to within the catchment area,” he said.

With opponents among the 14 submissions alleging the sleepers contained asbestos, Mr Brus pointed out they had all come from the area.

“I’ve got photographs when I was doing the contract work in the creek between Gosling Creek and Spring Creek with me in a 16-tonne excavator on top of the rail reaching down and pulling the sleepers out of the actual water supply, who was complaining? Nobody,” he said. 

“They are all post-1980 sleepers – asbestos in railway brakes ceased in 1979.”

Orange NSW Farmers branch chairman Bruce Reynolds spoke against the DA on behalf of members, saying the intersection of Forest and Hiney roads was an acknowledged black spot, highlighted by a council application for black spot funding.

However, Mr Brus said the higher driving height in a truck alleviated visibility concerns.

Councillor Scott Munro said he opposed industrial development around Orange Regional Airport because it was in the water catchment, but did not think the sawmill proposal was in the same category.

“As a practical person who has done a lot of farming myself and cut a lot of sleepers up myself, I really don’t see an issue with the environmental impact of this if it’s done properly,” he said.