Complaints after funeral parlour approval despite Logan’s 2019 crematorium decision
Plans for a new community centre and funeral parlour in the heart of one of the state’s most multicultural suburbs have reignited concerns about a southside council’s planning laws.
Redlands Coast
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Plans for a new community centre and funeral parlour in the heart of one of the state’s most multicultural suburbs have reignited concerns about a southside council’s planning laws.
Logan City Council approved plans for the 336 sqm AMIB Islamic community education centre and funeral parlour in November, triggering complaints from Estramina Rd residents who said they should have been consulted.
Their objections followed a landmark decision in 2019 when Logan City Council was forced to change its planning scheme to limit crematoriums to industrial areas after residents of a Bethania retirement village waged war when a crematorium was built in their street.
Bulldozers rolled into the Estramina Rd site at Regents Park late last year and levelled an old building, used as a childcare centre for more than 30 years and within 200m to the Grand Plaza Shopping Centre behind.
Developers of the community centre moved to allay residents’ fears claiming the centre would not be a crematorium and funeral services would be limited to “rare occasions”.
A spokesman for the Islamic community centre said the funeral parlour was not a crematorium and was on land zoned for community purposes so did not require the council to call for impact assessments or for community impact statements.
The spokesman, who did not want to be named, said concerns about the funeral parlour were “probably just a storm in a teacup”.
“Residents will not see or hear anything when there is a funeral ceremony because the services will be within the confines of the building,” a spokeswoman for the developer said.
“The funerals will be private functions and I don’t think they will impact anybody in that street as we are not a cemetery or a crematorium.
“It is a private community centre focused on social and cultural events and the funeral parlour is only going to be for people linked to our community and its not going to be open for just anyone who passes away.”
Regents Park resident Tracey Storer, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said having a funeral parlour and education training centre for 200 people would be detrimental to parking in her street.
She said the council should have learned about the need to consult residents after the previous case of a funeral service at Bethania ended up in court.
“We are concerned about the funeral parlour because there are dead bodies there and this is a residential space for living,” Ms Storer said.
“If they want a funeral parlour they should go and buy some land in an industrial area outside the residential area and site it in a place where this activity will not worry people.
“They have approval for 200 people to be on site at any time and there are 38 car parks, with some of those car spaces under a covered area, which looks like an area they will use for outdoor activities.
“Residents I have spoken to from Estramina Rd want the council to ensure that parking will not spill onto our street.”
Logan City Council was contacted for comment as was councillor Tim Frazer, who did not answer questions.
However, Cr Frazer told Estramina Rd residents the council approved the project without having to consult residents because the property was on “community zoning” land.
“Because the application does not change that, there is no requirement to put out notice to the community,” he wrote on a Logan Voters Facebook page.
“No councillor can change this as it is part of the planning scheme. I know this is not acceptable to the community, however to the letter of the law, there is nothing that can be done except for reporting any issues once the centre is up and running.
“Conditions on the development say they must keep traffic impacts to a minimum.
“Also this particular property has, on and off, been an active part of the community as a day care centre, which would have had minor impacts on traffic in the area over the years.
“If anyone has any concerns I can get them a comprehensive response to explain everything.”
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