A show of hands during a public forum at Denman Memorial Hall last week revealed a large majority of residents at the meeting opposed the Ferndale project, which could lead to construction of a coalmine at Yarrawa, about eight kilometres south-west of Denman.

At the meeting, joint venture partners Coalworks and Boardwalk Resources gave an update of the project’s progress, before the floor was opened for community questions and feedback.

A raft of concerns were raised, including the proximity of the

project to Denman township, displacement of landholders within the mining lease, loss of farmland, possible effects on water acquifers, air quality monitoring, potential need for workers camps to be built to house workers and increased traffic.

Bureen resident Bernie Hassett told the developers the project was already hurting the community.

“Landholders are being affected now,” Mr Hassett said.

“If you’re someone who was thinking about selling, or someone who wants to sell now and can’t because a mine is planned – I just hope you understand some of us are affected right now and can’t move forward.”

One Denman resident told the project’s developers that if the mine went ahead Denman would be “a place with no future within 20 to 30 years of the start of mining.”

Tom Perkins snr told the

developers he would prefer that they stayed out and leave Denman alone.

A spokesman for the exploration drilling told the meeting the

project was in its early stages and there was no guarantee a mine would be established at the site.