MORE than 80 jobs could be created in the Armidale region if the Hillgrove mine is reopened as planned.
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Former Armidale and Guyra resident Roger Jackson is behind the takeover of the gold and antimony mine and said if the sale went through, production could restart at the mine by the end of the year.
“There’s still a few boxes to tick with the sale yet, so I won’t go into too much detail about our plans, but our intention is to restart mining at Hillgrove,” Mr Jackson said.
The Bracken Resources chief executive would not comment on how many jobs would be created at Hillgrove, but expected numbers to be similar to previous mining operations at the site.
The conservative employment figure is 80, but up to 120 people have worked at Hillgrove in the past.
It is understood Bracken Resources has already made enquiries with Armidale real estate agents regarding housing for mine workers.
Armidale Dumaresq Council's economic development project manager Harold Ritch said a large number of former Hillgrove mine workers still lived in Armidale and could be a good option for Bracken Resources.
“A lot of them are still working at mines; some of them are flying in and out of Townsville and Mount Isa for work,” Mr Ritch said.
“I'm ... sure driving 20 minutes down the road would be better than jumping on a plane for some."
Armidale mayor Jim Maher said he was supportive of the Hillgrove mine reopening, as long as the new owner met the Environment Protection Authority guidelines.
“There's obvious economic benefits of mining, but I'm wary of some of the environmental factors,” he said yesterday.
Cr Maher’s concerns were echoed by Kempsey Shire mayor Liz Campbell.
Ms Campbell who said her ratepayers had suffered as a result of spillages at Hillgrove.
"There's no real environmental impacts for Armidale residents, but those spillages run into the Macleay River, which is a water source for stock and farmland," she said.
"I'm not anti-mining, but I want to see responsible mining."
The EPA has been in regular talks with current owner Straits regarding the tailings dam at Hillgrove, which has previously overflowed after heavy rain.
Mr Jackson would not comment about Bracken Resources' plans to overcome some of the environmental issues at the land site.
"The sale still hasn't gone through yet ... the environmental side of things is one of those boxes that have to be ticked before the sale can be complete."
Mr Jackson anticipated the $30 million deal between Bracken Resources and Straits would be decided "one way or another" within the month.
