By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust has revealed why Dandenong floodplain wetlands is shaping as its preferred new cemetery site in Melbourne’s South East.
The proposed site has caused a groundswell of opposition from residents and Greater Dandenong Council due to ecological and flood management concerns.
A new cemetery was “the only way to meet the forecast requirements” for the South East, according to the SMCT.
And it was still “actively investigating appropriate sites” including the wetlands at 1564 Heatherton Road, Dandenong, a spokesperson said.
“However due to the size of land required in this fast-growing region, options are limited.”
The spokesperson said the Dandenong site offered the “open green space and conservation values” required for a new memorial park.
“Once a site is chosen, we propose to create a memorial park that has significant amenities to the local community and this site offers the open green space and conservation values to facilitate that.
“Any site will be subject to community consultation and environmental and planning approvals.”
Greater Dandenong city planning director Jody Bosman meanwhile told a 23 May council meeting that the Dandenong wetlands was the site that the SMCT was “focused on”.
“As far as I know they are not investigating any other sites.
“We do know that the (SMCT) are very focused on this as their site.”
Councillor Rhonda Garad said whilst other proposed sites had been mooted, “we do not know what they are”.
“We do not know in any way that they are listening to the council or in any way listening to the community.
“As far as we are aware they are continuing with their process of developing and zoning regardless of anything that we say locally.
“It is extremely precarious from our point of view without any feedback at all, to believe that they are listening to us.”
Recently, the State Government denied the wetlands cemetery was locked in after $71 million was listed in the 2022-’23 State budget for a “new memorial cemetery (Dandenong)”
Mr Bosman said he believed the funds were not allocated to “that specific project on that specific land”.
“From what I have been informed, the allocation or reservation of that budget
to the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust is to make sure that the money is set aside for an agency that is responsible for its expenditure.
“At this stage, the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust has not lodged a rezoning application with the State Government.”
After weeks of seeking a response, the council is set to meet with the chief executive of the site’s owner Melbourne Water to discuss the issue in mid-June, Mr Bosman said.
In March, Greater Dandenong mayor Jim Memeti said the site was part of “95 hectares of sensitive environmental habitat within wetlands and floodplains”.
It’s covered by a Land Subject to Inundation Overlay, and zoned in parts as an Urban Floodway Zone, Public Use Zone 1 and Public Conservation and Resource Zone.
“Flood mitigation for Dandenong and the downstream areas, and the role the wetlands in the vicinity of 1564 Heatherton Road play in biodiversity and habitat are very important to this Council,” Cr Memeti said.
The council is also concerned about being sidelined by the State Government in the planning decision process.
SMCT has been searching for a further site to add to its nine cemeteries in the South East.
Three of its current cemeteries – Springvale, Dandenong and Bunurong – are in Greater Dandenong.
