News, Uncategorised

Bowdens Silver is pleased to advise the community that the Independent Planning Commission of New South Wales (IPC) has approved the Bowdens Silver Project (the Project), allowing it to proceed to development and production subject to conditions of consent.

The decision means the Bowdens Silver Project is a step closer to creating hundreds of jobs and delivering a significant economic boost to the Mid-Western region. It follows a thorough assessment process, involving 14 NSW Government departments and agencies, rigorous independent peer reviews, and extensive consultation with the community and key stakeholders.

This is a significant milestone for the company and Project, and we appreciate it has been a long and thorough process for the entire community to ensure that we can deliver an environmentally, economically, and socially responsible mining operation. We appreciate the community’s ongoing patience and understanding, and the considered contributions they have made throughout the assessment process.

The IPC’s Statement of Reasons for Decision acknowledged community concerns that were raised throughout the assessment process, however stated it “is satisfied that the Project can meet all relevant requirements for protecting human health and safety and that on balance, the Application is in the public interest.” The full document can be found here.

Next Steps

There is still a lot of work to do before the mine begins operations. Next steps for the Project is the completion of our management and engineering plans along with the completion of mine optimisation studies to further enhance the development and production operations. This work will continue throughout 2023 with development hopefully commencing in 2024. We now look forward to getting on with delivering the Project and we will be continuing to engage with the local community as we progress to the development stage.