Dead end for gravesites

Plot thickens on available cemetery space

QUARRIES and wastelands could help relieve pressure on the Gold Coast’s rapidly filling cemeteries.

The Gold Coast City Council is preparing a report on the options to find a space for gravesites.

Available plots in the city’s cemeteries have been quickly diminishing in the past five years, the most dire the Mudgeeraba Cemetery which has just six monuments sites remaining.

In 2014, the Bulletin reported a rush of burial bookings had netted the council more than $1.3 million in 12 months.

The Southport General and Southport Lawn cemeteries were popular and the Greek Orthodox community was fast reaching capacity.

Despite a report on the cemetery being completed, the council will not reveal its exact plans. Councillors last month voted to have the report classed non-confidential but council CEO Dale Dickson did not regard the report as fit for release and redacted it.

“The report was redacted due to budget and business considerations,” a city spokesman said.

Mudgeeraba councillor Glenn Tozer said among the options for the Mudgeeraba Cemetery was to expand into a quarry next to the graveyard.

“One of the questions we are looking at is does it have the capacity to fix the problem?,” he said.

If the quarry is not viable, the council may have to look to other vacant land sites. “Are we going to close up shop or are we going to expand?,” Cr Tozer said.

While space in Mudgeeraba’s cemetery is low, the council is not considering restricting the remaining plots to only those with longstanding ties to the area.

The blacking out of the Mudgeeraba report comes just weeks before a city-wide strategy into cemeteries is released.

The Bulletin understands a majority of the options will centre around setting aside or buying more land for burials.

Alternatives such as moving old graves or pushing for more people to be cremated are not under serious contention.

“The city has engaged a consultancy to analyse options for cemetery capacity throughout the city,” the city spokesman said. “The findings will help guide council in making decisions on future requirements.”

Religious and cultural groups are being consulted to meet the needs of the growing number of cultures, he said.