We write to express our firm, unequivocal and deeply held objection to the proposed “Douglas Park Memorial Park – Concept Plan and Stage 1” at 430 Douglas Park Drive (Lot 2 DP 250359). This objection is submitted on behalf of all members of our household.
We have lived at 31 Mitchell Place for over 24 years. We chose Douglas Park for its rural lifestyle, peaceful environment and strong community identity—values we have built our lives around. This is where we raised our three children, built deep community connections, and created a home that reflects decades of hard work and sacrifice. This proposal threatens to dismantle everything we have invested in—emotionally, financially and personally. Our objections are as follows
1. Incompatibility with rural residential character
A cemetery of 37,107 burial plots, a crematorium, administration buildings, internal road networks, water storage infrastructure and extensive earthworks is a major metropolitan scale development, not a rural one. The inclusion of a crematorium makes this even more inappropriate. Crematoriums are industrial facilities that produce emissions, odour, noise and visual impacts that have no place in a quiet rural residential community.
This development would permanently and irreversibly change the character of Douglas Park and offers no benefit to the people who live here.

2. Severe traffic impacts on roads already in critical condition
The surrounding road network is already failing under current conditions. The Gorge (Douglas Park Drive Causeway) has been repeatedly damaged by major weather events and now operates under traffic light control. It is frequently closed, heavily congested and unsafe during heavy rain. It cannot support the increased traffic generated by funeral processions, daily visitors, staff, contractors, heavy trucks and crematorium related operations.
Mitchell Place is a narrow rural road with no footpaths. Increased traffic will accelerate deterioration, increase safety risks and funnel unfamiliar drivers into a quiet residential street. This is dangerous and unacceptable.

3. Long term construction impacts: Noise, Vibration and Emotional Harm
The scale of excavation and construction required is enormous. Continuous excavation of rock and stone poses a real risk of structural damage to homes. Residents would be subjected to constant heavy machinery noise, dust pollution, truck movements and early morning and late day disruptions.
The emotional toll of living beside a major construction site—and later beside a crematorium—cannot be overstated. The peace and privacy we have worked for over two decades to protect would be destroyed. Our home would no longer feel like a sanctuary, but a place of constant disturbance and anxiety.

4. Water catchment risks and threats to property safety
The proposed water storage and catchment system raises serious concerns. Altered land contours will redirect natural water flows, and overflow during heavy rainfall could send large volumes of water toward existing homes.
The crematorium adds further risk: emissions and particulate matter can settle into soil and water systems, compounding contamination concerns. There is a real risk of flooding, property damage and threats to life.

5. Environmental contamination risks from burials and crematorium emissions
A cemetery of this scale poses significant environmental contamination risks.
Burials introduce embalming chemicals, decomposition by products, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals into the soil. With 37,107 burial plots, the cumulative contamination load is enormous.
The crematorium introduces additional hazards, including:
• Fine particulate emissions
• Mercury and heavy metals
• Combustion by products
• Odour and smoke drift
• Ash residue settling on surrounding land
These pollutants threaten air quality, soil health, water catchment areas, wildlife and the wellbeing of nearby residents.

6. Daily impact on a family of five working adults
Our household consists of five working adults, each with demanding schedules and responsibilities. This development would have a devastating impact on our daily lives.
Years of construction noise, machinery, rock excavation, truck movements and dust pollution will:
• Interrupt sleep
• Disrupt remote work and study
• Increase stress and fatigue
• Reduce our ability to perform in our jobs
• Create constant tension and anxiety within the home
Our home is the only place where we can rest, recover and support one another. Turning it into a construction zone for years—and then placing a crematorium beside it—would fundamentally damage our wellbeing.
With five adults commuting daily, increased congestion will add significant delays, increase fuel costs and create uncertainty around travel times. The stress of simply leaving and returning home each day will increase dramatically.
Impact on pets
Our pets are part of our family. They rely on the quiet, stable environment we currently enjoy. Prolonged noise, vibration, heavy machinery, unfamiliar vehicles and constant movement will cause them significant distress.
The crematorium adds further concerns: animals are sensitive to odours, smoke and environmental changes. These disruptions can lead to anxiety, behavioural issues and stress related health problems. This adds further emotional strain to our household.

7. Significant reduction in property value
This is one of the most devastating impacts of all.
Our home is our primary financial asset—the result of decades of work, sacrifice and planning. It represents our future security, our retirement, and our ability to support our children as they build their own lives.
A large scale cemetery and crematorium directly adjacent to our home will:
• Severely reduce our property value
• Limit future resale opportunities
• Undermine our financial stability
• Impact our ability to support our children
• Compromise our retirement plans
• Trap us in a home we may no longer feel safe or comfortable living in
We have invested our lives into this property. We should not be forced to watch its value collapse because of a development we did not ask for, do not benefit from and strongly oppose.
8. Environmental and community impacts
This development will destroy natural landscapes, disrupt wildlife habitats, increase noise and light pollution, erode the rural character of Douglas Park and offer no meaningful benefit to existing residents.
The crematorium intensifies these impacts through emissions, odour, industrial activity and increased traffic.

9. Strong community opposition
We have spoken extensively with our neighbours, and there is widespread, consistent and informed opposition to this proposal. We fully support the detailed objections submitted by other residents.
We strongly oppose this development—now and at any time in the future. It is incompatible with the rural character of Douglas Park, poses unacceptable risks to residents and threatens the well being, safety and financial security of our family and community.
We respectfully request that this proposal is rejected in full.
Yours sincerely,
Julie Corr
Brendan Corr
Ryan Corr
Cameron Corr
Veronica Corr
All residents of the household 31 Mitchell Place Douglas Park NSW 2569

Firstly, I am very concerned about the state of our roads in the Wollondilly Shire, especially those around Douglas Park. Wollondilly council has the most roads to look after with minimal funding. The road across the gorge from Douglas Park to the proposed site is most certainly not built to accommodate the traffic that would arrive from families of those who would be buried there and the burial services proposed during burials or cremations (once this facility has been built). Most people use navigation maps and would no doubt try to use this shorter route, despite assurances from the Douglas Parks Memorial Park website that they would advise of best routes to customers.
We are expecting many more cars anyway due to all the new housing estates and schools that have been approved already (due to start building works soon).
Secondly, I am concerned about the pollution that would come from having smoke stacks at a level that means the smoke would drift over the gorge and the ash would land on the other side on our washing. We already have to contend with the black dust from the railway line on one side and the freeway on the other side. At peak hours (7 to 9 am and 5 to 6 pm) the exhaust fumes from the freeway are very strong and smelly. I do not want to have to smell burning from bodies added into the mix!
Once the Badgerys Creek International Airport commences commercial flights in 2027 we will also have the pollution from those aircraft (noise and dumping fuel exercises). We also must put up with the mines drilling underneath our homes and the extra noise pollution from that during the night as the rail corridor must be constantly monitored for movement underneath the railways. This also means more dust.
Thirdly, I don't think it is a very peaceful place right next to a freeway and we often have low flying aircraft, including helicopters flying overhead. The thought of all those dead bodies being buried over there does not fill me with delight. Although I'm not usually a spiritually aware person, I don't really think the spiritual beings would be very happy there.
Please consider other spots that are further away from the suburbs out in the country where there are less people where it is more peaceful and not in an area that is already dealing with numerous industrial impacts. Douglas Park residents have to put up with a lot. Please find somewhere else for the Memorial Park.
Thankyou.

I am writing to register my strongest possible objection to the Douglas Park Memorial Park proposal. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fundamentally fails to account for the catastrophic structural risks posed to nearby residential properties by the proposed excavation methods.
The development requires extensive "rock ripping" into Hawkesbury sandstone bedrock across a massive 16-hectare footprint, penetrating to depths of up to 3 meters. This heavy industrial activity will generate sustained, low-frequency ground vibrations and seismic shockwaves that travel directly through the continuous bedrock shelf to surrounding homes.
I object to this development based on the following critical impacts:
• Foundation and Pier Failure: My home relies on structural piers anchored into the local strata. Continuous, high-energy rock ripping will destabilise these piers, causing structural shifting, differential settlement, and catastrophic foundation failure.
• Brickwork and Chimney Collapse: Low-frequency vibrations will cause severe masonry cracking in brick walls and load-bearing chimneys. This poses an immediate, severe safety hazard to my family from potential structural collapse.
• In-Ground Pool Failure: The immense hydraulic and mechanical forces transmitted through the bedrock will crack my swimming pool shell . This will lead to major water leakage, subterranean erosion, and complete structural failure of the pool.
• Inadequate Geotechnical Assessment: The applicant’s current assessments heavily underestimate the proximity of residential receptors to the excavation boundaries. They fail to provide a localized, vibration-attenuation model for continuous rock-ripping across 16 hectares.

The scale of bedrock excavation required for this cemetery is entirely incompatible with a residential buffer zone. The risk of permanent, costly structural damage to my home, chimney, and pool is unacceptably high.

This Cemetery is not a necessity to this community given the approval of large scale operations at Wallacia, Varroville and the smaller council owned cemeteries in the surrounding villages. This cemetery will service communities travelling from hours away by vehicles only (given the lack of public transport) making it virtually impossible for me to travel to work or return home. I am a shift worker, therefore the construction noise (over years) and the cemeteries daily operations will have a direct impact on my ability to function in my current employment. Simple planting and some type of fence will not prevent the many visitors viewing my property which will affect my families and visitors' enjoyment of my own front yard. The proposal lacks any desire to protect the immediate neighbour's from a visual of activities on this site. A six meter high solid sound wall such as the RMS use along the whole length of Mitchell Place may still not reduce the visual impact.

There will also be an unacceptable risk of microbiological and chemical contamination (including formaldehyde and heavy metals) leaching into local groundwater. In times of ongoing rain the overland flow from this property runs directly into both my and my neighbours properties in torrents, into the Cataract Creek at the rear of our properties and any proposed dam overflow would exacerbate this issue.

I am also deeply concerned for the welfare of my family living meters away from a crematorium and the health impacts this will have. Should this be approved, it would set a dangerous precedent for crematorium construction and operation within residential areas, as they are currently and appropriately located within industrial areas. I believe Wollondilly Council have recognised this and are seeking to amend the LEP.

Those that live near cemeteries have made that choice. If approved this colossal development will diminish the rural appeal, liveability, and overall value of what we have worked so hard to achieve. I implore the Department to refuse consent of this SSD application.

I object to the proposed Douglas Park Memorial Park on the basis that the surrounding road network is not suitable to support a State Significant Development of this scale.

The proposal relies heavily upon access via Douglas Park Drive, Broughton Pass and the Douglas Park Causeway. These roads are not major transport corridors. Rather, they are local roads that are already subject to significant physical constraints, including bridge and road infrastructure with weight restrictions, limited road widths, steep grades and constrained vehicle manoeuvrability.

The existence of weight restrictions is itself evidence that elements of the road network have recognised capacity limitations. This raises concerns regarding the suitability of these routes for ongoing construction traffic, service vehicles, maintenance vehicles, funeral-related traffic and other increased vehicle movements associated with a major cemetery, chapel and crematorium.

Of equal concern is the susceptibility of the road network to flooding. Local residents are well aware that access across the Douglas Park Causeway and surrounding routes can be disrupted during periods of significant rainfall. The proposal seeks approval for a development intended to operate for many decades and serve a large catchment population. Reliable all-weather access should therefore be a fundamental requirement.

The combination of flood-prone crossings, constrained road geometry, weight-restricted infrastructure and limited alternative access routes creates a road network that lacks resilience. Should a flood event, motor vehicle accident, bushfire, bridge closure or road maintenance activity occur, access to and from the site may be significantly affected.

This concern extends beyond visitor convenience. Funeral services are time-sensitive events involving large groups of people travelling together. Emergency services, maintenance contractors, staff and visitors must also be able to access the site safely and reliably. A development of State significance should not be dependent upon infrastructure that is regularly affected by flooding and already subject to operational restrictions.

Furthermore, the Environmental Impact Statement should assess not only average daily traffic volumes but also the cumulative effect of funeral processions, peak visitation periods, construction activities and long-term operational traffic on a road network that already experiences recognised constraints.

In my view, the applicant has not demonstrated that the existing access infrastructure possesses the capacity, reliability and resilience necessary to support a development of this scale. Until these concerns are satisfactorily addressed, the proposal should not be approved

This might be the most classic example of the issues with our planning system. The fact this location is being considered at all is absurd.

Cemeteries of this scale are not simple planning matters and are multigenerational decisions in the vein of stadiums, aquatic centres, or quarries.

The site if approved will likely remain a cemetery for hundreds of years. While effective permanence is not an issue, decisions of this nature must be made more cautiously and alternatives must be considered.

If it were any government agency putting this in you would be required under treasury guidelines to submit a business case that clearly shows the value of this site over others in the context of local and regional planning.

Now I understand the landowner and developer dont have that luxury which is the why the impetus on the government to make informed, considered decisions.

So i'll do the pub test assessment for you. You have new Wilton going up with an estimated 40,000 residents. You've got all the expansion in the Macarthur corridor down towards Appin. You've got Menangle Park kicking off that will all increase demand for cemetery space.

This immediate fact hides the planning consideration that most of the surrounding area is being currently masterplanned or rezoned from rural to residential. The opportunity to consider genuine alternate sites is now.

Let's look at this site. Bounded by a river, the Hume Highway and a complete lack of infrastructure on terrain not conducive to to development. Serviced by a one lane road, and a single lane causeway that routinely floods and leads to a single lane road up into Douglas Park which is currently being considered for close due to safety concerns and the cost of remediation.

You've got reports of environmental issues, buried bodies leaching into the water table, and endangered species.

I invite one of any of the planning staff involved to drive down these roads before making a decision. The scale of the site and traffic impact alone should make this untenable.

If the government is so hellbent on destroying the character of this area, while making local roads untenable at least commit to genuine infrastructure upgrades. The Moreton Park industrial precinct and proposed new on and off ramps from the Hume Highway will do nothing to alleviate impact. The Picton road interchange will do nothing. The issue is local roads and their interaction with the sites unique geography.

The only solution would be a complete disregard of everyone who already lives here, making all main roads through town 2 lane, building a genuine 2 lane bridge at the gorge and even then with all that said an done, it would still be in one of the worst locations available.

Make it conditional on any new masterplanned suburbs for new Wilton along the picton road corridor.

Attn: Teresa Gizzi, Department of Planning and Environment
Objector: Long-Term Resident of Douglas Park
Status: Objection

I am writing to formally lodge my strongest objections to the proposed Douglas Park Memorial Park Concept Plan (SSD-68287712).

As a resident who has lived in Douglas Park for many years, I have a deep understanding of and connection to this local environment, its landscape and its community spirit. While I recognise the broader regional need for cemetery and crematoria facilities, I firmly maintain that Douglas Park is entirely unsuitable for a development of this nature, scale and emotional gravity.

The fundamental physical characteristics of the chosen site present severe environmental risks that have not been adequately reconciled. The local topography and geology of Douglas Park are heavily defined by dense shale, intractable clay structures and underlying sandstone rock formations. This specific soil and geological profile is notoriously poorly draining and highly resistant to deep excavation. Introducing a large-scale cemetery into a landscape dominated by these clay and rock layers poses a substantial threat to local hydrology. During heavy rain events, which our region experiences cyclically, the impermeable nature of the clay will prevent proper filtration, leading to surface runoff, waterlogging, and the highly concerning potential for groundwater contamination. The structural realities of this ground make it an scientifically flawed choice for interments.

Our local infrastructure is currently strained and was never designed or scaled to support a major regional facility like a memorial park, chapel and crematorium. The surrounding rural road network consists of narrow, localised thoroughfares that already face safety challenges from existing traffic and heavy vehicles. Forcing hundreds of additional vehicle movements per week—including slow-moving funeral processions, heavy construction equipment and visitors unfamiliar with our narrow, winding roads presents an unacceptable risk to road safety. Furthermore, the local area lacks the robust utility services, stormwater management networks and public transport infrastructure required to sustainably absorb a State Significant Development of this magnitude.

Douglas Park is a unique, historic semi-rural enclave. Its identity is built upon its open green spaces, peaceful agricultural landscapes and a sense of quiet sanctuary. A massive, formalised commercial enterprise encompassing crematoria, vaults and chapels will fundamentally alter the visual and social fabric of our town.

This proposal represents an overdevelopment that clashes directly with the Wollondilly Shire’s commitment to preserving rural lands and keeping distinct village identities intact. It is an industrial-scale operation being forced into a quiet residential and agricultural haven where it simply does not belong.

Beyond the tangible environmental and structural impacts, there is a profound human cost to this proposal that cannot be overlooked by planners. To put a massive reminder of mortality at the gateway of our community is to fundamentally change how we interact with our home. As a long-term resident, Douglas Park has always been a place of life, growth and natural beauty. It is deeply distressing to face a future where every single daily commute, every trip to the local shops and every glance out across our landscape serves as a stark, unavoidable reminder of death.

A community should not have a shadow of perpetual mourning cast over its daily life. The psychological weight of this facility will heavily impact the well-being and peace of mind of the families who live here.

The Douglas Park Memorial Park proposal fails to respect the physical constraints of the land, the limitations of our local infrastructure and the emotional right of long-term residents to enjoy their homes without the oppressive presence of a regional crematorium and cemetery footprint.

For the reasons detailed above, I urge the Department of Planning and Environment to reject this application in its entirety and seek a more appropriate, geologically sound and logistically viable location elsewhere.

Sincerely,
H.
Long term Douglas Park Resident

I am writing in regard to the proposed cemetery and crematorium at 430-490 Douglas Park Drive, SSD-68287712, also the subject of EPBC referral 2025/10343.
I have lived in this street for 42 years and found it a great place to settle and raise a family. I would class it as a rural location away from any infrastructure.
The nearest shops are 3 klms away and this requires crossing the Nepean river causeway. This is a narrow twisty road with traffic lights to regulate traffic due to the narrow one lane conditions on the shops side. There are weight and length restrictions for this road for all traffic. There is no walking track down or up this road, it is for vehicles only. There is major concerns for the condition of this road and talks for closing it for a lengthy period for major repairs. There is a railway station near the shops but with limited services. There is no bus or taxi services from the railway station.

As per the guidelines set by Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW in establishing a new cemetery six out of the ten guidelines fail in this instance

1. Site is not next to residential areas or highly visible from neighbouring areas – there are 25 residential homes that run the length of Mitchell Place which border the site.

2. Site is accessible to cemetery visitors – access is available through the causeway which has issues with local traffic. There are no public transport to the site. All access is by personal vehicle.

3. Site is not affected by significant noise from adjoining main roads, airports, industrial sites or similar – The main Sydney to Melbourne highway runs next to the site. This generates road noise 24 hours a day. It also exceeds the governments average noise limits for 60db.

4. Site does not have a high bushfire or flood risk – the area is classified as a bush fire zone by the RFS. Due to the steep nature of the land, a 70 metre drop to the river, stopping a fire in there conditions would not be an easy task.

5. Site has sufficient soil depth to allow the top of a coffin to be not less than 900mm below the natural surface -not shallow rock or groundwater – the land is an area of floating sandstone. Any attempts to dig a single depth grave site would strike sandstone usually in large areas.

6. Site does not contain heritage sites, threatened species or heavy vegetation – site has had an EPBC referral activated for Cumberland Plain Woodland and Shale Sandstone Transition Forest.

The installation of a crematorium on this site would have a high pollutant output which would spread over a large area affecting not just homes in Mitchell Place but in nearby Dredge Ave, the St Mary’s Towers monastery, and the township. This is an industrial setup which should not be allowed in a rural area.

The Green Travel plan submitted by Traffix has some items that need mentioning. The Douglas Park railway station is 2.7 klms distance not 1.8. this low distance seems to taken as a straight line not the road distance. The report states that Douglas Park there is no pedestrian, cycling or bus access through the gorge and due to the nature of the road it is not a viable solution for staff or visitors.
The Action and Strategies plan mostly rely on other people doing what they think is right.
An EV charging bay would have to setup with extra power coming in to run it. How far this comes from is unknown and has Endeavour Energy been consulted on this?
Douglas park has no taxi or ride share service that we know of. Campbelltown or Picton would have both but a 23 klms minimum distance would be very costly. Plus the return journey would mean organising pickups.
Staff car pooling out here would be a bit presumptuous as this would rely on most staff living close to each other and working same hours.
Shuttle buses would have to come from Picton railway stations which is a minimum journey of 23 klms or Campbelltown railways which would be a 36 klms journey
The conclusion in the Green Travel Plan states to reduce reliance on private vehicle trips but will encourage On-site Passenger drop-off / pick-up area which would mean two trips to the site for one funeral. More travel times and more traffic on local roads.
The setup of EV charging facilities does not reduce private vehicle trips. An EV or normal car is still a private car.
The item to Maintain an open channel of communication with Council to maintain / improve existing
sustainable infrastructure in the local area seems to be a way of off loading everything to the local council to fix the issues they are having.
The setup of a Travel Plan Coordinator position seems to be something that would be implemented but what would happen if it gets abolished​? Would it be a government policy to have this running always?
It also states that the subject site is not presently accessible by pedestrian and cycling facilities but states that cycle tracks and parking will be provided.
In conclusion it would be a travesty to allow something as this to proceed. It does not meet the main criteria for a cemetery due to its location which would have issues with roads, environment and the health of the local population.
Guy Howard

It is unreasonable that local residents who purchased property and lived in a rural community setting should be subject to a commercial development of this type.
The devaluation of our properties resulting from the development is outrageous. How is it reasonable that a developer (clearly already financially secure) makes a substantial additional financial gain at the expense of normal, working-class people living in a rural community? I doubt this would pass any "pub test".
The local roads cannot sustain the ongoing heavy vehicle movements required to construct the planned development. Douglas Park Drive (which already has a maximum load limit) north of the mine regularly falls into disrepair following periods of wet weather. Heavy vehicle movements will destroy the road. Relying on the developer to maintain the road is not realistic, as it is an additional expense they are not likely to want to deal with, at least not to a reasonable standard.
The local road network is not designed for the substantially increased vehicle movements associated with operating the cemetery and crematorium. The Douglas Park Gorge is already operating with vehicles lining up at traffic lights waiting to use the road. A significant increase in traffic volume will cause a traffic blockage where northbound vehicles lining up across the single-lane causeway would prevent southbound vehicles from crossing. In peak times, this is likely to result in an immovable traffic jam that cannot be cleared.
Furthermore, the Douglas Park Gorge is already subject to significant deterioration issues. Increased traffic volumes will only serve to exacerbate the deterioration of a critical local community road link.
Any suggestion that visitors to the cemetery/crematorium would be diverted away from using the Douglas Park Gorge is naive. By nature, people will always use the shortest route; furthermore, their navigation apps always recommend the shortest route.
The Douglas Park Gorge is a local recreation area, with families needing to cross the road. The significantly increased traffic volumes pose a real safety concern.
In Respect to the Actual Development:
The geology of the area is sandstone. I understand the proposal is to excavate the sandstone and presumably import soil to facilitate the burial sites. The excavation of sandstone will cause significant dust, including silica dust. Dust created from cutting, grinding, or drilling sandstone is extremely hazardous because natural sandstone is composed of about 70% to 95% crystalline silica.
Any suggestion that the developer can adequately suppress the silica dust to prevent harm to local residents is unrealistic. The developer cannot guarantee that safety protocols will be adequately maintained over the entire duration of the development.
The ongoing noise from excavation works and heavy vehicle movements over the lifetime of the proposed development is a substantial burden to local residents who made a decision to live in a rural community, not near a commercial establishment.
The natural effluent resulting from the burials must end up in the groundwater, which naturally drains into the Nepean River, thereby causing contamination to the river system.
Final Comments:
This development has arisen from a developer who purchased a plot of land in a rural setting solely seeking to make a financial gain. It is my understanding that several proposals have been submitted to the council, all of which have been denied because they were not in the best interest of the community.
The developer subsequently sought to override the local council by pursuing this development via the State Government, with no consideration for the local community's best interest, which the proposed development will impact the most.
It is disappointing when those who have the most, and stand to make significant additional financial gain, do so at the expense of normal, working-class residents living their lives in a rural community.
This development was declined by the local council because it was not in the best interest of the community. The development remains entirely conflicted with the best interests of the community and should not proceed.

As a local resident of Douglas Park ,I object to this proposed submission,Douglas Park Memorial Park, for the following reasons.
The proposed location is in Mitchell Place a residential area, Douglas Park ,20+ homes have been long established in this street and the proposed cemetery will be very obvious to these neighbouring homes and the disruption to the home life that these residents enjoy .The egress entrance, frontage ,burial zones and vaults are directly opposite these homes , homes in Dredge Ave and Douglas Park Dr will be also impacted by this proposal ( eg increased traffic ,noise, pollution ,loss of native flora and flora)
The proposal will effect traffic flow throughout the township, The Gorge and the causeway .The only realistic assess to the location is via private vehicle, navigation apps will and does direct through the township. Funeral corteges will increase traffic and congestion throughout the township and down the gorge .Funeral corteges can be up to 100 cars long and multiple times throughout the day. The township has one o main local road access, Camden Road on this road is, a rail crossing (the main southern line), a primary school main entrance ,a preschool entrance, shops ,homes ,and 30+ units presently being built which all feed into this road ,a road which is increasing busy . This road also leads to 'the gorge',a narrow, one way ,under traffic light control down to a cause way , 3tonne limit, which is often closed due to flooding or road works as this road is requiring continual maintenance due to the increased instability from heavy rain ,increased traffic and topography of the area. The congestion will have impact on the local community and emergency services including bush fire brigade, trying to get through town and the gorge .
Douglas Park is a bush fire zone as documented on Wollondilly Shire Council bushfire prone land register.

The Location is within the Cumberland plains and shale sandstone transitional forest an area that is critical endanged and is protected by the Cumberland Plains Conversation Plan.An area the flora and fauna need to be protected and grow, this proposal will destroy the area ,stripping the land of its natural growth and habitat. Any vegetation that remains will struggle to survive due to construction and long term operation of the proposed cemetery ,by way of impacting of soil, interruption and polluting groundwater,disrupting stormwater /rainfall for water supply .There is no avoidance biodiversity or corridor of endanged species, especially for the koalas.The koalas which are present in this area of Wollondilly ,are known to travel over land and require travel corridor, to keep them safe ,along with another animals in the area .
Increased traffic will also be of detriment to the animals due to road strike .

The land is predominately sandstone with inadequate soil depth to dig graves ,therefore digging into sandstone which is difficult and rare , the depth required in NSW single depth 1.5m double depth 2.1 m ,? triple depth as noted in proposal, digging of graves will be very noisy ongoing process for local residents ,wildlife and general community , as heavy machinery is needed.Burial will occur 7 days a week 10am til 4pm also as noted in proposal ,more disruption to the local residents and the community in general . Sandstone being porous will not contain the bodily fluids as the bodies decompose, these toxic fluids leak and will eventually drain via grondwater into our waterway, the Nepean River ,located behind the proposed site . The Nepean River is within the water catchment for Sydney Water. The river is also use for recreation and home to flora and fauna, including platypus .

The proposed crematorium also presents issues, the potential emissions into air are great including, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides, mercury, amongst many pollutants .These pollutants adding to the air ,which can cause breathing difficulties for local people, Wollondilly already exceeds NSW state average for recorded asthma rates . Polluntants will also interfere with the flora and fauna and the ecosystem of the river. Let alone the chimney stack being a visible pollutant to the community .

The proposal suggests up to 37000 burial plots ,at present in the south west area there are approximately 10 cemeteries and 3 crematoriums ,Douglas Park has a small population of 1300 people ,this area as well as being unsuitable in the issues discussed above ,this proposal is unwarranted .To"do nothing" as suggested in the proposal is very much considered the right and obvious outcome to protect Country , the land ,the flora, the fauna ,the river , our drinking water and the air we breath and the community of Douglas Park and surrounding villages.
I for the reasons above ask the department to reject this submission
thank you
Jan Miller

The establishment of a cemetery in Douglas Park, a community of some 1300 residents that spread across and divided by the Nepean river, southern railway line and the M5 motorway seems like a bad planning proposal. Within close proximity to our town there are 6 currently operational cemeteries and 3 crematoriums within 40km of Douglas Park. The proposal would mean that a significant number of burials, families, friends and residents from outside of the Wollondilly and surrounding council areas coming to the area thus creating daily congestion.
Douglas Park a small community in Wollondilly shire is near the M5 southern expressway and the main southern rail line. Although very close to the proposed cemetery site, neither of these access ways contributes to this proposal. There is no access off the M5 and none planned to the site thus only putting significant traffic on our already congested local road system, a local road system, it is used as a major thoughafare to the south coast. A road system that would have hundreds of extra vehicles using Douglas Park Drive with a section of this road listed historically significant threatened by embankment instability along the Harris Creek and Nepean River cliff lines. The causeway and local roads with traffic volumes on Douglas Park Drive heavily constrained by gorge slope instability and 3 ton weight limits, a narrow one-way under traffic lights road, narrow causeway, traffic banking up on dangerous hairpin corners as their way to access the site and a road closed during wet weather and predicted rainfall triggers. Funeral corteges that can be off 100 cars traveling these roads will cause significant congestion as GPS guides motorists this way. This congestion will also impact emergency vehicles that travel the area as well as volunteer community service personnel attending the bushfire brigade trying to get to their station to respond to an emergency call.
The rail system, although a train station at Douglas Park with a infrequent service, there is no connection to public transport to access the cemetery site, however some people do walk down to the causeway and beyond, which is extremely dangerous due to the lack of a physical buffer, speeding vehicles, blind corners, and poor visibility both with shadows of the narrow road and sandstone walls.
How is a burial site going to be a burial site if a hole cannot be dug? The sandstone rock in this area is shallow some 700 – 900mm below ground level with burial hole to be 1200 plus mm deep, depending on a single, double or triple stack, yes it can be dug out, mulched up or quarried using excavators, saws, drill rigs and rock blasting but this is considered a very noisy operation that will have significant effect on the road system with machinery coming and going, local community, wildlife and ecology. The sandstone is porous and once broken up even more so and seepage off decaying bodies, Necroleachate is highly phototoxic and poses a significant environmental hazard to local plant community and waterways and with the nearby Nepean River only a short distance away it would affect the water quality and plant material in its path.
Necroleachate contains high concentrations of biogenic amines, particularly cadaverine and putrescine. Studies show that these compounds are highly toxic to plant cells and their growth. The raw liquid also alters the physicochemical and biological makeup of the soil, although in this case a very shallow sandstone base soil. It can introduce heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, and a high volume of mineral salts, leading to long-term soil degradation and high salinity that plants cannot tolerate. As the fluid percolates into the groundwater, it acts much like raw sewage. It spreads pathogens, viruses, and elevated levels of compounds like ammonium and nitrates. This contaminated groundwater can be poisonous downstream to vegetation and aquatic life, all within the Nepean River catchment area. The Biodiversity and Conservation within the state environmental planning policy requires development to be carried out only with development consent and consideration to whether the development will maintain and enhance the structure and floristics of native vegetation in the catchment.
So how does contaminated water enhance plant growth and then provide scenic quality of the locality?
The site is within the Cumberland plain, a significant soil and vegetation type in south west Sydney. The site does have grassland and is part of a critically endangered ecological community. This community is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the future. The proposal will only significantly ensure that the ecological community is irreparable and gone forever. Several nearby properties have already been listed a seed back areas thus protecting what we have left of the Cumberland plain plant community.
The proposed cemetery development does not have links to improving the local infrastructure, council roadways and intersections, the development only lists work occurring for the proposal to the site. Future local housing development in surrounding areas of Wilton, Appin and Menangle, will also increase traffic along Douglas Park Drive and across the narrow causeway. There are no plans for a new crossing of the Nepean River to allow future higher traffic volumes in the area.
For motorist that would attend the site from the Appin area, to the east of the proposed site, they also have a narrow, steep, one lane weight limited road with a hairpin corner that is prone regular accidents to travel through.
The area is listed under Wollondilly’s Shire Council Bushfire prone land register and has links to adjacent fire prone areas. This creates a high dangerous situation should there be a fire as the only road in / out is Douglas Park drive and the congestion, panic and confusion of visitors in an unknown area could be horrific.
The structures within the proposed site that will supposably be concealed by vegetation however many established trees would be removed thus creating a greater impact to facilitate the proposal. Replacement trees take along time to grow and the impact is not felt for many many years and will do nothing to hide the fact that there still cemetery opposite residential properties. The site next to residential area to the east will be highly visible from their properties. To the west of the proposed site is the main southern motorway linking Sydney to the southern areas of the state, a very busy roadway. These residents would have to view a cemetery and its structure constantly reminded by mortality, suffering reduced property values as high as 10% and significant increase in noise and traffic. Daily maintenance activities including mowing, excavation work, the funeral cortege and deliveries will also significantly impact the adjoing residents.
This proposal will have significant changes to the street scene, pedestrian passages, transport usage and parking along with noise and public views will affect the immediate locals adjacent to the proposal and would loose the rural impact of the area, something that Wollondilly Shire Council promotes.
An alternative of “doing nothing” or considering other options that do not effect the local waterways, flora and fauna, environment and residents of the community and those adjacent to the site could result in the use of an underutilised site better. This case as viewed by the New South Wales government but the significance of the fauna and flora and the community as a seed bank linking the Cumberland plains is more value long term.
I strongly support the refusal to the development
Thank You