The public has until next week to comment on plans for a crematorium on the site of the old Mugga Lane Zoo. Although developers promise it will be ecologically friendly, some Canberrans are concerned it will be hazardous for rare birds and plants.

InvoCare and Red Box Contractors intend to build the Symonston crematorium to serve the south of Canberra, one day integrating with the ACT Government’s proposed Southern Memorial Park.

At the time of development, Canberra’s only crematorium was at Norwood Park, in Mitchell. Another crematorium opened in Gungahlin in March.

“The presence of two facilities in the South will help cater for the diverse needs of Canberra’s multicultural community and will ensure Canberrans will not be forced to cremate loved ones interstate due to limited capacity here in the ACT,” Purdon Planning wrote in their report.

But Canberra woman Catherine Henderson was dismayed to learn that the crematorium could be built next to the heritage-listed Callum Brae Nature Reserve, which provides habitat for endangered species, and is popular with bird-watchers, painters, and picnickers.

Ms Henderson believes that toxic chemicals from the crematorium – including mercury from teeth fillings – will accumulate in the environment, and poison the birds. She also worries the site’s closeness to Narrabundah and Red Hill could be a human health concern.

“Mercury is deadly for everyone, for everything, and we could be setting up a toxic legacy here,” she said. “It would be really bad for Canberra and the whole park system, which a lot of people have put so much effort into. Biodiversity is a hot topic at the moment. We’re finally realising that we need to protect it for our own good – and this is in our backyard.”

Purdon Planning stated: “The contamination status of the site is such that it poses a low risk to human health or the environment, and the site is suitable for development.”

The site was originally intended to be used for aged care and long-stay accommodation, but this was not considered compatible with the Reserve. A crematorium was considered most appropriate, as it would integrate sympathetically with the ecological and heritage values present, the report states.

Purdon Planning promise the design would be sustainable, conserving and retaining biodiversity and areas of high ecological value. Landscaped gardens and native plants would beautify the site, and waterways would channel surface water.

The site has more than 106 remnant eucalypt trees – many more than a century old – that provide nesting and roosting habitat for birds, bats, and tree-dwelling mammals. Fourteen of these will be removed, and 0.3 hectares of rare box gum woodland and 5 hectares of native vegetation will be cleared. Some rare birds may also forage and breed in the site.

Both Capital Ecology and the Conservator of Flora and Fauna determined the site was unlikely to impact any threatened, rare and uncommon, or conservation-dependent flora or fauna.

“Indirect impacts from the operation of the Memorial Park are likely to be minimal, as InvoCare seeks to create a clean, well-managed and maintained site that provides a space that is quiet, reliable, and embraces the natural beauty of the surrounding environment,” Capital Ecology wrote.

Ms Henderson wanted to know if an environmental airborne quality impact assessment had been done; levels of toxins might seem low, she said, but their effect was cumulative.

Crematoria also used significant amounts of power, Ms Henderson said. According to some figures, a single cremation uses about 285 kiloWatt hours of gas and 15kWh of electricity on average per cremation – the same amount of domestic energy a single person uses in a month.

Jo Clay MLA, ACT Greens spokesperson for Planning, doubted whether the crematorium was necessary.

“ACT Greens share community concerns about the nature of this proposed development and aspects of the wider planning system that it takes place within,” Ms Clay said.

“Based on demographics, demand, and the capacity of the existing crematorium in the ACT, the ACT Greens consider it highly improbable – even accommodating Canberra’s rate of population growth and catering for the surrounding NSW regions – that Canberra need go from one to potentially four crematoria in a number of years. 

“This proposed development is a prime example of the disconnect between strategic and statutory planning, and of outcomes being driven by the priorities of developers, rather than the desires and needs of community. This is something that the ACT Greens are working hard to fix in the ACT Planning Review, a once in a decade opportunity to look at our planning system and ensure new changes provide the best possible future for Canberra,” she said.

The public has five days left to have their comment officially considered by the planning authority: Mugga Lane & Narraundah Lane, Symonston, ACT | 08 Sep 2021 | PlanningAlerts.

Canberra Daily contacted InvoCare and Purdon Planning for comment.