Two into one can't go

Once again, Flora Hill ward ratepayers have been dudded. How can a funeral home and park exist in the same space? According to the Council, quite easily.

In 2008, the masterplan for the redevelopment of Wolstencroft St Park was revealed. Funds were allocated at that point from the budget for the first stage, but when the new council was elected in November 2008, the masterplan slipped off the agenda and off the website. Here is a link to the plan
Wolstencroft Masterplan.

It is only after lobbying from the Wolstencroft Area Action Group (WAAG ) that the masterplan was reinstated and a vague commitment at Christmas time  from a director (who has subsequently resigned from council) to include the works for stage 1 into this years’ budget considerations.

It was about this time that murmurings about a funeral home going into the area surfaced.(Check this facebook page Opponents-to-the-Flora-Hill-Miller-Street-Funeral-Parlour-Proposal). This has now turned into a fact with council looking to approve an application on Wednesday.

The analysis of the application by council officers is flawed. It does not take into account the concerns of the 90+ petitions against the proposal (scoffing at the proforma nature of the petitions, not the substance), rejects any mediation process (because the large number of people who have raised concerns will make it difficult) and does not fully appreciate the traffic and parking nightmares this application will create (Miller St is only one lane each way, Havlin St East smaller than that)

The approval conditions imposed on the applicant are laughable and cannot be policed.  Who is going to tell a mourning family that you can only have 100 people attend the funeral, no more are allowed? Who is going to count the number of funerals and dob when the count reaches more than a 100 for the year?

The application notes that the Wolstencroft development and this application are mutually exclusive. They are not; they will affect the fabric of the community in different ways and would be inextricably entwined. One will be celebration of life, the other a reminder of death. Try explaining that contradiction to the kids while you’re chucking the Frisbee around, or explaining why the nice man/lady has collapsed with grief in front of you as hand your child another sausage from the BBQ.

Flora Hill ward doesn’t ask for much – it is an established area with established infrastructure. We pay our rates and most of it goes to the CBD. What we do ask is some consideration of our needs and concerns, especially for something a confronting as a funeral home.

Build the park.

Don’t build the funeral home.