Below are a list of reasons as to why we do not feel the site will be appropriate for the Luddenham area:
• Tourism to the area will be negatively affected
Luddenham is a growing rural attraction for families to visit on the weekends with one of the major draw sites to the area being the Model Park Association on Luddenham Rd, but the proposed site has the potential to force the Association to close, as a large majority of the Park’s members are hobby plane enthusiasts who use the back paddock and surrounding airspace to fly their planes, but will be unable to continue to do so if the site goes ahead, as the site will make it unsafe for them to fly their planes overhead. The Association would not be able to continue if it cannot maintain its members as it will be to expensive to operate with insufficient numbers
• Potential OH&S Issues
If filters are insufficient on the crematorium, ashes emitted from it have the potential of being spread across Luddenham as the area is know for strong winds, and especially because there is little shelter from the winds due to the hilly location. If filters should fail the effects upon surrounding farms with livestock could be devastating in regards to lawsuits, as livestock could graze upon ashes and become sick and could potentially transmit diseases to unsuspecting consumers who purchase infected meat and animal by-products and consume it.
Not only will farming be impacted should the ashes spread, but diseases have the potential of being transmitted into residents drinking water, as the majority of residents rely upon water tanks to store and collect water for drinking etc, and should ashes be spread across roofs that collect water and enter tanks, residents have the possibility of becoming ill very quickly.
Also all cultures have different customs for marking death, for example it is a Chinese custom to set off fire crackers at funerals, what if loud noises spook bulls in adjoining paddocks and they charge people?
• A precedent will be set for other farms to become cemeteries
Owners of adjoining properties will have no choice but to in turn submit their own applications to allow their properties to become cemeteries. If they are unable to operate their farm because of their proximity to the pollution and cemetery water seepage, they may have to sell and the only propspective buyer may be the cemetery/crematorium.
• Western Sydney Employment Lands Investigation Area will be affected
The proposed site as well as neighbouring sites is currently under investigation, approval of such a site will impact the investigation negatively and council should not consider any applications that could impact the investigation until the investigation is concluded.
• Scenic and Rural Views will be destroyed
The hilly location of the proposed site means that site will be completely visible for miles around all sides, no amount of landscaping will be able to conceal the fact that the site is covered in gravesites and at the very least it will take years for any plants in to take root and start to provide some coverage
• Reasonable use and enjoyment of the land will be affected
Neighbours to the site will have to modify their behaviour to ensure that they do not disrupt funeral services and people visiting graves. It is a common past time of neighbourhood children to ride their motorbikes in their free time which is quite noisy will they be prevented from enjoying themselves so that a graveyard is not disrupted?
• Properties will be devalued
Properties surrounding the proposed development will be devalued as instead of scenic rural views, they will have sweeping views of an ill concealed gravesite and crematorium.
• Traffic will be increased
At present the surrounding roads will not be able to cope with the type of traffic that will accompany the site, it will be very unsafe as the road is already known to have had accidents and fatalities for drivers not only along the road, but also drivers turning into properties along the road, due to blind spots and no adequate turning lane into properties along the road
• Farming will be affected
How can you graze livestock safely and tend to your crops, as you need to if you have to constantly consider that your normal behaviour may be interrupting a funeral service etc? The operation of loud machinery will be discouraged when funeral services are on, but how can the average farmer prevent this as they are required to utilise their machinery when it is necessary and they cannot wait until a funeral is over, because their crops need to be maintained when conditions are optimum and not when they are told they can.
• Misrepresentation on the Development Application
The Signed Development Application submitted to Penrith City Council to build a crematorium, cemetery, memorial gardens (landscaping) with associated buildings and car parking claims that it will cost $90,000 to build which is totally inadequate! Appropriate fencing to the area will alone total over $100,000. Council cannot let a fraudulent document be submitted for consideration.
• Potential for vandalism to increase
Cemeteries are known to attract vandals who desecrate headstones etc, and on days such as Halloween “ghoul parties” can be hosted in cemeteries which can lead to sites being desecrated. Not only would this mean that adequate security would be needed at all times to protect the proposed site, but also adequate security would be needed to protect adjoining properties to ensure that they are inturn not vandalised.
• Potential for the site to become an eyesore
The proposed site will be run by private investors, should they run out of money to maintain the site, who will step up to ensure that the area is properly maintained? The investors will only be receiving one-off payments when people purchase plots etc, yet maintenance of the site will be required long after the current investors are present.
