An investigation of the Grantville quarry company accused of uprooting ancient grass trees – some possibly up to 700 years old – has found the removal was permitted.

Bass Coast Shire last year referred the vegetation removal by Sand Supplies to the state government for investigation after councillors at the November meeting moved an urgent motion to protect the uprooted trees, which had been dug out and bagged, “sitting in the sun”.

Council was alerted to the grass tree displacement by resident and conservationist Meryl Tobin, who made the discovery in mid-November, estimating more than 200 of the trees had been bagged.

“No government or authority would stand by and allow arguably the best grass tree forest in Australia to be destroyed if they knew it existed,” Mrs Tobin said.

At last week’s council meeting, Mrs Tobin asked about the outcome of the investigation.

Shire CEO Ali Wastie said shortly after the November council meeting a site inspection was conducted.

“It concluded the quarry operations were being managed in a manner consistent with their work plans,” Ms Wastie said.

One of the directors of Sand Supplies, Robbie Viglietti, last year told the Advertiser his company had a work authority, or permit, which detailed “a raft of conditions” the company must undertake in terms of revegetation, translocation of trees and rehabilitation.

“It’s a condition of our operation that if we encounter any grass trees we translocate them on the site to save them, because that’s important and it’s the right thing to do,” Mr Viglietti said.

He estimated about 150 mature grass trees – “with a visible trunk” – had been moved and immediately replanted, but some smaller grass trees, “with no visible trunk” had died not because of translocation but because they were water-logged and “rotten from the inside”.