Douglas Park cemetery plan: Company says traffic, noise impact ‘negligible’

A decision on a major $20 million cemetery proposal - slammed as a “half-baked” idea - in Sydney’s southwest is just days away. If approved, locals fear funeral processions will be forced to travel through a notorious narrow gorge.

A major cemetery has been proposed for Douglas Park (generic picture).

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The company behind a controversial cemetery proposal on an isolated 17ha block on the outskirts of southwest Sydney has denied traffic and noise concerns should see the $20 million project rejected.

The small town community of Douglas Park has rallied against the multimillion-dollar plans fearing funeral processions would be forced to travel through the notorious narrow Douglas Park Gorge to bury their loved ones.

The site of the proposal on Douglas Park Drive. Picture: Google

Planning documents lodged with Wollondilly Council last year highlighted the graveyard would support southwest Sydney’s growing population and would have the capacity for more than 27,000 burial plots. The precinct would also feature a mausoleum, family vaults, chapels and prayer rooms.

Ross Garlick, a representative of Benjamin Harkham’s Benima, which is behind the project, told the four-person Wollondilly Local Planning Panel on Thursday the traffic impacts were “negligible” as efforts would be made to redirect funeral processions away from the gorge.

Neighbours previously held a mock funeral procession across Broughton Pass to highlight the traffic impact.

“They would not even attempt to take a hearse through there (Douglas Park Gorge),” he said. “(The funeral operators) asked if I was actually sane.”

One resident, Paul Grierson, who previously told the Chronicle the proposal would change the “concept of home” for every Douglas Park resident, said there was no doubt more people would travel through the gorge.

“People, by nature, will always take the shortest route,” he said.

Mr Grierson, who previously organised a mock funeral procession to highlight the community’s traffic fears, called for the project to be rejected completely.

The cemetery would have the capacity for more than 27,000 burial plots.

Wollondilly Mayor Matthew Deeth told NewsLocal that it was a “half-baked proposal”, saying the site was simply not appropriate for such a large cemetery.

“The problem with this one (proposal) is it’s just the wrong land use in the wrong place,” he said. “There are a range of reasons why that is the case. Can we not find a better location that is more appropriate.”

He said it would cost millions of dollars to upgrade the road at Douglas Park Gorge to handle the increased traffic.

The noise impacts of 78 days of ‘rock ripping’ were dismissed by Mr Garlick, saying it would be less disruptive than a next-door neighbour building a home.

The maligned proposal has failed to be supported by the panel of planning experts on the last two occasions, both times deferred for extra information.

The panel’s decision will be published by Thursday night.