THE proposal for the controversial Drayton South open-cut coal mine project in the Hunter Valley was refused by the New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) on Tuesday, providing a huge result for Coolmore and Darley, whose studs were under direct threat by the 100-million-tonne project.

Cited as “not in the public interest,” this ends the proposal from mine-site owner Anglo American, with the PAC highlighting that there was not a big enough buffer between the mine and horse studs and that the mine had not shown it would not adversely impact on the health of horses and the studs’ operations.