Arndell Park mortuary: Blacktown planning panel approves controversial proposal
An Arndell Park warehouse will be converted into a mortuary — much to the disliking of some local residents — after getting the green light from Blacktown Council’s local planning panel.
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An Arndell Park industrial complex bordering suburbia will be home to a new mortuary despite residents fearing an influx of hearses and corpse bags in their suburb.
A warehouse within the Holbeche Rd complex will be turned into a mortuary after Blacktown Council’s independent planning panel approved a development application from Nepean Valley Funerals last month.
Plans for the facility were first lodged in November and were met with strong opposition from some local residents who voiced concerns about the mortuary’s operations, including possible impacts on property values and public health.
According to planning documents from Blacktown Council, more than 50 residents signed a petition objecting to the proposal, despite an existing mortuary operating within the same complex for more than a decade.
Petitioners raised possible issues surrounding the suitability of the site, which is next door to a church and only 200 metres away from homes.
The planning panel, however, unanimously approved the plans for the $30,000 warehouse conversion, which would include a mortuary preparation room, embalming table, fridge room and corpse loading/unloading area.
Viewings and religious ceremonies will not be held at the site, which is permitted to operate seven days a week.
Planning documents showed that the mortuary would be required to operate in a “discrete” manner, with hearses and mortuary vans to be parked inside the warehouse, out of public view.
The transfer of bodies to and from vehicles will also be conducted within the premises.
The panel found that the development would not have any unacceptable impacts on the community.
“The proposed discreet operation of the mortuary will ensure that there is no possibility for any corpse bags to be sighted by workers of adjoining units or by the general public, as the transfer van, which will transport the deceased persons to the premises, will reverse into the unit and the roller door will be immediately closed,” documents read.
“The operations will be carried out discreetly such that there will be little evidence of its existence to create any psychological or emotional stress.”
A statement from the funeral operator said the mortuary would house up to three deceased persons a week, before they were transported to funerals off-site.
“Granting consent to the proposal will not have any unacceptable social, economic, environmental or health impacts on the area,” the planning panel ruled.
“There has already been a mortuary operating on the site for 10 years, and there is no evidence of any danger or adverse traffic or amenity impacts arising from that use.”