community,

A CONTROVERSIAL 136,000 plot cemetery in Campbelltown’s Scenic Hills is one step closer. Despite strong opposition from the community and Campbelltown Council, the NSW Planning and Environment department passed the Catholic Cemeteries Trust’s proposal through its gateway process. That means it will now proceed to public exhibition. The department made the anouncement on Monday without informing Jacqui Kirkby of the Scenic Hills Association and owner of the heritage-listed Varroville House, that would eventually be surrounded by the vast necropolis. Instead it was up to the Advertiser to tell Mrs Kirkby. ‘‘This is something that will destroy me and my husband,’’ she said. ‘‘I don’t know where we go from here — we are being destroyed. ‘‘The gateway process is a totally corrupt process and the [Planning] Minister [Rob Stokes] knows that. ‘‘He stood in parliament and condemned it [before being appointed planning minister] and now he’s the minister he has the capacity to do something about it but he hasn’t. ‘‘Once they proceed to public exhibition we are wasting our time engaging consultants and putting in submissions because the decision has already been made. ‘‘This is not a fair process.’’ In a statement, the department said it ‘‘takes community views into account when making decisions’’. Campbelltown councillor Sue Dobson didn’t believe that for a second. ‘‘It doesn’t matter what the community say and what the community want because the community doesn’t want this,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s disgusting and shouldn’t have even gone to gateway. ‘‘It’s going ahead because money walks and bullshit talks.’’ The decision will bypass Campbelltown Council — which has repeatedly opposed the cemetery — and be made by the Joint Regional Planning Panel Campbelltown MP Greg Warren said he and Macquarie Fields MP Anoulack Chanthivong would continue to oppose the cemetery. ‘‘I sustain my position for the preservation of Scenic Hills,’’ Mr Warren said. ‘‘There is development everywhere so we need green space and my position won’t be changing.’’ Mr Chanthivong was equally outraged. ‘‘The Scenic Hills are an important part of the local community,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s not a good planning decision and not a good outcome for the people of this area. ‘‘I’ll be making sure that the government hears our views loud and clear.’’ Former Campbelltown Liberal MP Bryan Doyle, defeated at the last election, was a strong supporter of the cemetery plan. The Catholic Cemeteries Trust released a statement following the announcement. ‘‘Non-profit organization, The Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (CMCT), is satisfied that our proposal for the creation of new cemetery parklands in Varroville, to alleviate the impending shortage of burial sites in this area, has passed through the Gateway stage and will again go to public exhibition for community feedback,’’ the statement said ‘‘We are committed to retaining and improving the heritage aspects of the site with the lightest touch possible on the land, which for the first time will be enjoyed by all of the community.’’

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