Wollondilly Shire Council held an extraordinary meeting to double down on its opposition to plans for a cemetery at Douglas Park with capacity for more than 37,000 burial plots.
The council resolved to lodge a second objection with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Community feedback expressing major concerns about the proposed cemetery will be included in the council objection.
The Douglas Park Memorial Park has been declared a State Significant development.
This means the state government will be the approval authority for the development application, and not the council.
This is a similar process to the one that enabled the approval of Macarthur Memorial Park in Varroville, in the Scenic Hills of Campbelltown, despite strong opposition rom residents and Campbelltown City Council.
The Douglas Park application seeks concept approval for the staged development of a cemetery with capacity for more than 37,000 burial plots, a crematorium, family vaults and crypts, a chapel and administration buildings, carpark and associated roadworks, footpaths and landscaping.
Stage one would include excavation works, burial zones with capacity for over 15,000 plots, construction of a chapel and administration buildings, a car park, internal roadworks and ancillary works.
Wollondilly Council and local residents are worried about the impact of a cemetery at Dougolas Park on the environment, traffic, and safety impacts at constrained locations.
There are also groundwater, wastewater management and public health considerations that need to be
“Council is standing with our community on this issue,’’ says Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould.
“At the recent community drop-in session at Douglas Park community hall, we listened to our residents’ concerns and heard a range of feedback on the potential impacts to the town.
“We believe that this proposal is not in the public interest, and the matters raised by the community, particularly in relation to traffic, safety, environmental impacts and amenity should be given significant weight in the determination process.
“Douglas Park Gorge already requires ongoing maintenance, and there are valid concerns that additional traffic could contribute to the deterioration of the road.
“Residents are nervous about the impacts of additional traffic to local businesses and parking, and the impact of funeral processions on traffic movements, particularly at the nearby railway crossing.
“There are questions around the suitability of the site for burials due to shallow soil depths and the presence of sandstone, as well as groundwater contamination associated with burial activities, and the impact on the nearby Hawkesbury-Nepean River, native vegetation and local wildlife.”
