A government plan to convert a Sydney golf course into a cemetery will be formally presented to residents on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from the local Labor MP, who described it as “lazy and short-sighted”.
Auburn MP Lynda Voltz said the proposal to convert the government-owned Carnarvon Golf Course at Lidcombe appeared to be reaching its “endgame” with an eight-week consultation period beginning this week.
“It’s hardly consultation, they’ve made their decision,” she told the ABC.
“Despite how many times they’ve denied they’ve made a decision, they made [it] a long time ago.
“No other site is being looked at.”
Member for Auburn Lynda Voltz claims the decision has already been made. (ABC News: Nick Dole)
Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP), which runs government-owned cemeteries, said Carnarvon was its preferred site for a “modern memorial park”.
It is close to the existing Rookwood cemetery and the government owns it already, saving on potential acquisition costs elsewhere.
However, Ms Voltz cautioned the government against seeing Carnarvon as a cheap solution to Sydney’s shortage of burial space.
“They think they can take this land for nothing and they don’t have to pay for it,” she said
“[But] it comes at a huge cost to the community.”‘Why do we have to be Sydney’s burial site?’
The state government is desperate to find more burial space in Sydney.
At nearby Rookwood cemetery, Islamic burial plots are projected to run out in three years’ time.
At Macquarie Park, Armenian Orthodox plots are likely to be exhausted in just two-and-a-half years.
About 10,000 people are buried in Sydney every year. (Supplied: Metropolitan Memorial Parks)
With about 10,000 people buried in Sydney every year, MMP CEO Denise Ora said there was a “pressing” need to find alternatives.
“We’ve been tasked with exploring sustainable, long-term solutions that support Sydney’s diverse communities,” Ms Ora said.
However, Ms Voltz said the plan would rob the local area of much-needed green space.
“Why does Lidcombe have to be the burial site for everyone?”
She said she feared adjacent sporting fields could be next, as the government continues searching for more burial space.
“They say they’re only going for the golf course.
“[But] once the golf course is full, there is now way the soccer field aren’t going.”
The proposal includes green space and walking paths that locals can use. (Supplied: Metropolitan Memorial Parks)
MMP said its proposal for Carnarvon would include green space and walking paths that local residents could enjoy.
“Our vision for the Carnarvon site is to create a modern memorial park that not only meets essential burial needs but provides a public space for the whole community,” Ms Ora said.
Ms Voltz said the golf course conversion will mean some residents are sandwiched between Rookwood cemetery to the east and Carnarvon to the west.
“Particularly in the Asian community, the idea of living surrounded by people that have been buried is just not appropriate,” she said.
Golf Club fears ‘uncertainty’
The golf club’s general manager says they were told they were safe until their lease expired in 2035. (Facebook: Carnarvon Golf Club )
The Carnarvon Golf Club has a lease on the site until 2035.
Lands Minister Steve Kamper has said the lease cannot be terminated without “mutual agreement”.
However, the club’s general manager, Adam McGregor, said the messaging from MMP had worried his members.
“Uncertainty is the word of the day,” Mr McGregor said.
“We were told by Minister Kamper that we were safe until 2035.
“[But] I guess I’m concerned with only one option being offered for cemetery space, and there seems to be the line from the cemetery people that they’ll run out of space in the next 12 months.”
He said if the consultation was genuine, an alternative option would have been presented to the community.
“What’s the point of consulting on one piece of land?”
Mr Kamper said he welcomed MMP putting its proposal out for community consultation.
“We got into this mess because successive governments put this in the too hard basket, now we are at a point where we can’t afford not to act.”