I object to the construction of the Douglas park Memorial Site
The location will cause major disruption to local traffic as well as causing congestion in surrounding areas.
The proposed site has only one entry point on Douglas Park Road, this is reached via Douglas Park Gorge ,Wilton or Broughton pass Appin . Both Broughton pass and Douglas Park Gorge are single direction lanes with hairpin turns, and narrow turning conditions .
Many times in the past years there has been major traffic congestion between Douglas Park, the causeway Appin road and Wilton due to road congestion at the Picton road M31 exchange and road closures causing traffic to divert to Douglas Park Drive and the past the proposed cemetery .
The causeway road at Douglas park is under constant repaired due to the current traffic volume, any extra traffic from visitors to a cemetery holding 37000 plots will cause unnecessary maintenance and more wasted money when we are still awaiting much needed infrastructure to the local area.
The number of allotted parking spaces is not sufficient to meet with the number of expected visitors attending services as well as those visiting gravesite .
Mine subsidence - there can be no absolute guarantee that the Nepean River catchment will not be contaminated should the land shift and burial sites affected
The site is vulnerable to seismic geotechnical earthquake which could cause unwarranted water run off into the Nepean River catchment area

The building of a memorial park in Douglas park is being heavily protested by our community, over the past 6 months a number of signs and community posts have gone up talking about the effects this establishment would have on our town, you are talking about the closing and destruction of the Douglas park causeway, a road built by convicts and also a prime form of transportation for not only the Douglas park community but also the surrounding areas of Appin and Wilton, so many people use this road everyday and with your current plan you want to close it for this companies corporate greed. A few years ago our community protested the building of a south 42 mine air shaft behind our local primary school due to air pollution and the affect it could have on our youngest community members, but now you wish to apply to build yet another form of air pollution that will not only affect the Douglas park primary school but also Wilton primary school and Wilton high school which is set to open next year, we did not want our children breathing in toxic gas and we certainly do not want them breathing in the fumes of their relatives, which I’m sure you’d an relate to. The memorial park is also a sure fire way to destroy the gorgeous environment that we have in or small town, your building would mean the destruction of our waterways, forests and natural species that live in this area. Overall this proposed memorial park is not something I or our community agree to or want.

As a new resident of Nepean Street, whos property sits directly above the river, I have made it a priority to comprehend a detailed understanding of the local area's compositional make up, landscape and characteristics, as well as the poorly supported and gradually declining road infrastructure available Douglas Park Gorge. After reveiwing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), supporting appendices and related documentation for SSD-68287712, I make this submission objecting to the proposal. While I understand the necessity of cemeteries and crematoriums to the public , my submission is concerned with whether this proposal, represents an appropriate planning outcome, with regards to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, location, site suitability, infrastructure capacity and the public interest of Douglas Park.
My concerns are as follows;
1. The proposal hasn't been proffered to the public honestly, with approvals taking place years ago and us only being given the last ditch effort or a few months to contest.
2. There is no demonstrated need or want for a cemetary in Douglas Park, where the community is still considered semi-rural.
3. The site is physically unsuitable given the extent of excavation into shallow soils and bedrock, bulk earthworks, water management challenges and potential future mine subsidence impacts, not only to the immediate site but the fragile surrounding area.
4. Transport for construction, let alone mourners coming & going, is inadequate, unsafe and increased congestion will put the area at higher risk of damages the council is trying to fix.
5. Consultation and social impact assessment processes have failed to meaningfully capture local intrest, no amount if publication or advertising, what little has been given, has been successful in convincing locals to accept the proposal.
6. Douglas Park is an area of functional small farmland, with the majority or residents still raising livestock or food for market. A cemetery is simply not in tune with the characteristics of the town, and would be better in a more populated area with better access to main roads, such as the developing suburb at Wilton.
For the reasons detailed in this submission, I respectfully request that the proposal not be approved, or even considered
Regards,
Kayla Kettley

The assessment documentation does not sufficiently demonstrate why Douglas Park is required within the identified planning horizon, nor why this location represents the preferred strategic response compared with existing, approved or emerging burial infrastructure. The planning case therefore does not establish a demonstrated necessity to deliver a facility of this scale in this location at this time.
The inclusion of an onsite crematorium is similarly unsupported. The Applicant has not provided strategic, demographic or quantitative evidence demonstrating unmet cremation demand within the catchment, nor justified why co-location with the cemetery is necessary, particularly given contemporary planning practice increasingly supports separate siting of cremation facilities where this achieves better land use and infrastructure outcomes.
Please find attached our detailed submission.

I strongly object to this proposal. Please see my submission attached.

Submission: Objection to State Significant Development Application SSD-68287712
Douglas Park Memorial Park – Concept Plan and Stage 1
Site: 430-490 Douglas Park Drive, Douglas Park NSW
To: NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

Dear Assessment Team,
I am writing to formally object to the proposed Douglas Park Memorial Park (cemetery and crematorium) development at 430-490 Douglas Park Drive, Douglas Park.
My primary objection relates to the grossly inadequate provision of onsite parking and the inevitable severe traffic and parking impacts on the local road network.

Key Concerns – Parking and Traffic
- The proposal provides only approximately 118–130 onsite parking spaces. This is woefully insufficient for a facility with capacity for up to 37,000+ burial plots, a crematorium, chapel, and associated visitor facilities.
- A single burial service or memorial may be attended by up to 200 persons, requiring a minimum of 100 cars (assuming an average of 2 persons per vehicle). The proposed chapel has seating for up to 230 mourners, confirming that large gatherings are anticipated.
- This demand is compounded by the likelihood of back-to-back burials and services throughout the day, especially on weekends and peak periods. With multiple services occurring in succession, vehicles from earlier services will still be parked while new attendees arrive, creating sustained overflow demand far exceeding the limited onsite spaces.
- There is no public transport serving the site. Visitors, mourners, and staff will be entirely reliant on private vehicles.
- The surrounding roads are unsuitable for kerbside parking or overflow parking. Local streets are narrow, rural/residential in character, and lack capacity to safely accommodate additional parked vehicles. This will lead to dangerous congestion, illegal parking, blocked driveways, reduced visibility, and increased safety risks for residents, pedestrians, and other road users.
- Access to the site is constrained, including via the winding one-way Gorge route or the Hume Highway, both of which are already problematic for high traffic volumes.

A cemetery of this scale will attract large numbers of visitors daily over many decades. Relying on such limited onsite parking demonstrates a failure to properly address traffic generation and parking demand in the Environmental Impact Statement. This will result in ongoing amenity impacts, safety hazards, and inconvenience for the Douglas Park community.
I note that Wollondilly Shire Council has formally resolved to oppose the development, citing (among other issues) traffic impacts.

Requested Outcome
I respectfully request that the Department refuse the application in its current form due to the unacceptable traffic and parking impacts. If the proposal is to proceed, it must be substantially amended to provide significantly more onsite parking (in line with expected peak demand from large services and back-to-back operations) and demonstrate safe, practical management of all visitor traffic without impacting surrounding roads and residents.
Thank you for considering my submission. I urge the Department to prioritise the liveability and safety of the existing Douglas Park community over this proposal.
Yours sincerely