Mark Fancett, Michelle de la Coeur and their daughter Alex Fancett explore the proposed quarry site. Credit:Joe Armao

A forested hillside in a green wedge zone on Melbourne’s southern fringe could be cleared and mined for an estimated 70-year supply of granite to feed the city’s insatiable demand for raw materials for roads and housing.

The Andrews government is weighing up a proposal to dig a 43-hectare, 200-metres deep quarry on undeveloped land next to the Arthurs Seat state park on the Mornington Peninsula.

A much smaller quarry on the privately owned site has been dormant since 1998 and is filled with water. The surrounding bushland has been assessed as good habitat for several vulnerable native species.

The owner’s proposal to convert the old quarry into a tip was rejected by the state’s Environment Protection Authority five years ago.