However, Whitehaven has made clear it was not seeking to have higher noise levels at it’s Maules Creek mine, but applying to remove a redundant requirement.

The company has applied to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to do away with a condition that requires continuous environmental noise improvement by maintaining or reducing mining equipment sound power.

The Maules Creek Community Consultation objected to the modification. Local resident and spokesperson for the group, Ros Druce, said if the condition was removed, it would have a “negative flow on for the cumulative noise” from mining in the area.

“Five years on from the original determination the proponent has returned to the planning system to water down its noise conditions based on the dubious assertion that it has a ‘strong record of compliance’,” Ms Druce said.

“The planning approval has failed to protect vulnerable families from the impacts of noise in the district.”

A Whitehaven spokesman said the modification wouldn’t change its current obligations related to noise limits at neighbouring properties, equipment maintenance, noise attenuation or annual sound power level testing.

“This change would remove the uninformative requirement to compare, on an annual basis, current equipment sound power levels to those included in the indicative noise modelling prepared for the original environmental assessment as a means to regulate licensed noise limits,” he said.

“This modification is consistent with changes recently approved for other mines in NSW.”

Ms Druce said no evidence had been provided as to why the requirement should be removed, with other mines in the region carrying similar condition, such as such as Whitehaven’s Tarrawonga mine and Idemitsu’s Boggabri mine.