Quarry materials—such as sand, gravel, rock, clay, and soil—are essential for building roads, homes, and infrastructure. These are high-volume, low-value products, which means transporting them long distances is costly. That’s why quarries need to be located close to growing urban areas where growth and construction is happening and demand is highest, so the materials can be supplied safely, reliably, and at a reasonable cost.
Why Are KRAs Important?
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Construction materials are vital to Queensland’s economy and future development. Because these materials need to be sourced locally to keep costs and transport impacts down, it is important that access to them isn’t blocked by expanding urban development. Key Resource Area (KRA) designations are a planning tool used to protect these important resource sites.
What KRAs do?
By protecting KRAs, it ensures that there remains a readily available supply of locally sourced extractive material that supports the construction industry —helping keep building costs down and reducing transport impacts.
Why this matters
Protecting KRAs helps ensure there is an ongoing, reliable supply of locally sourced construction materials. This supports the building industry, helps manage construction costs, and reduces the environmental and traffic impacts that come from transporting materials over long distances.
KRAs on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast has seven designated hard-rock KRAs. These areas contain important construction materials that are protected for future use.
