Crematorium next to aged care home gets green light

Controversial plans for a Logan suburb have been approved despite being labelled “tasteless” in Federal Parliament.

PLANS to build a crematorium on the doorstep of an aged care facility have been given the green light in front of a disgruntled crowd of vocal and angry residents.

Logan City Council on Tuesday approved the Bethania facility, labelled as “tasteless” by Member for Forde Bert van Manen in parliament last week.

Acting mayor Cherie Dalley, who has stepped in as local councillor for the area, called in the project to allow the full council to decide its fate rather than leaving it to be assessed by officers against criteria set out in the Logan Planning Scheme.

But despite the community opposition and calls for a more appropriate location to be found, the council voted to allow the James Family Trust to build the crematorium on High St, Bethania.

A stringent set of conditions were to be imposed including six-monthly air emission reports, camouflaging the smoke stack, landscaping, setting the building away from boundaries, and limiting hours of operation to Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.

To great clapping and cheers from the public gallery, Cr Phil Pidgeon led the forge against the project and said many aged care residents did not want to be reminded of their mortality.

He said he was investigating another, more appropriate, site.

“This is an issue of location and I understand it’s a great market for customers (at this site) but as a businessman you surely do not put a crematorium near a nursing home or aged care facility,” he said.

Cr Cherie Dalley had an alternative plan to refuse the crematorium but it was approved by the full council.

Cr Dalley was also armed with a second recommendation to refuse the plan.

But Cr Russell Lutton said if the plans were refused, the applicant would have grounds to appeal and council would lose control over any conditions.

“I have done my best to find a reason for refusal … but there is no flaw and (approval) is the best way forward as it’s not defendable in court.”

Council also voted to amend the Planning Scheme to give the public a say in any future crematorium application, so they will no longer be “tick and flick” projects assessed by officers using a list of criteria set out in a code.

Instead, the impact of any future proposed crematorium will be assessed and public comment taken.

Other requirements to be imposed on future applications will include strict requirements to ensure greater distance between commercial uses and residential zones and hours of operation will be restricted to 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

In federal parliament, Mr van Manen told the House he was concerned about the Brisbane funeral director behind the project.

“In fact, the CEO of the Australian Funeral Directors Association has confirmed that this man and his company are not members of their organisation and he is not bound by their strict code of conduct.”

Diana Howes with a crowd of angry residents outside Logan City Council after the decision. PHOTO: JUDITH KERR

Bethania resident and activist Diana Howes called for the suspended Division 6 councillor Stacey McIntosh to step down while her fraud charges were before a court.

“This is what happens when there is inadequate representation because a councillor is suspended,” Ms Howes said.

“Bethania residents have fallen through the cracks and now we have to live with this decision.”

A spokesman for the James Family Trust East Coast Survey’s Ken Burmeister thanked council and its officers, “for their diligent work and for a professional process”.

“Our client has always maintained that they have been complying with the law and the planning scheme and therefore deserved an approval,” he said.

“While the community is able to, and should be allowed to, voice concerns with respect to development applications, the planning process provides for these concerns to be aired in an appropriate manner so as to not interfere with due process.”