Locals raise concerns over plans to build a funeral parlour on prime Gympie site

Gympie residents are not happy with the proposed site of a new funeral parlour in the centre of the city beside an aged care facility, labelling it ‘ridiculous’, ‘crazy’ and ‘inappropriate’.

Brodies was an Australian-owned fast food business starting that sold chicken and burgers, opening in 1987 in Gympie and expanding elsewhere before closing down.

The possible construction of a funeral parlour on the old Brodies site has been met with backlash from the Gympie community, with some saying it is “inappropriate” and questioning the positioning next to an aged care home.

The Brodies building will soon be a thing of the past as demolition is scheduled to take place this week to make way for two new possible developments.

A development application was lodged earlier this year with Gympie Regional Council by InvoCare Australia to build a funeral parlour on the site, which has not yet reached approval status.

The InvoCare funeral parlour is the second development application to be lodged for the site, as the council gave the green light for developers to transform part of the site into a new showroom for Supercheap Auto and a second retail store last year.

Plans for the old Gympie Brodies fast food site to be developed.

The recent lodgement of the funeral parlour proposal caused controversy on Facebook, with 234 comments on a post by The Gympie Times from residents having their say.

Many Facebook users pointed out the possible parlour’s close proximity to the Gympie Views aged care home just next door.

“Next to an aged care home? How disgusting, have some empathy for the oldies, it’s bad enough they have to be in a nursing home, other than looking down at a funeral place,” Mary Petrie commented.

Jessica Murillo added, “Imagine being a resident living out your days in the next door nursing home...Those poor souls.”

“No way, ridiculous idea. Poor elderly at the nursing home. Just crazy,” Daniela Vlasak said.

The Brodies building is set to be demolished this week, with a temporary fence now up around the site.

Despite an overwhelming majority of residents rejecting the potential parlour, some said they would prefer the abandoned building to be put to use.

“It’s been empty the entire time I have lived in Gympie, which is over 10 years. I would much rather it be used and employing people than sitting as an empty dilapidated building,” Matisse Andersen wrote.

Other Facebook users highlighted the lack of car parking spaces as another reason the funeral parlour would be unsuitable.

However, Invocare’s application says building a funeral parlour instead of a retail outlet would reduce traffic on and around the site, which sits at the intersection of two of Gympie’s busiest arterials -Channon Street and the Bruce Highway.

What do you think? Send your letters to [e-mail]