Cemetery layout on agenda

With both the Queenstown and Frankton cemeteries nearly full, the Queenstown Lakes District Council will decide tomorrow whether to approve layout plans for a new cemetery.

In a report to be discussed at the council's community services meeting tomorrow, parks manager Gordon Bailey said the Queenstown and Frankton cemeteries could have between one and five years left for interments.

In 1990, the council purchased land on Lower Shotover Rd for cemetery purposes and Mr Bailey said ''it is now appropriate for council to begin transforming the Shotover Cemetery into an operational cemetery''.

''In the very near future, this cemetery will become Queenstown's only cemetery for new interments.''

Trees were planted on the land after it was purchased and they now ''form the underlying structure from which the proposed layout plan has been developed''.

The total land area for the cemetery was 3.1ha and that had been divided into three blocks.

Block one's capacity would be 492 traditional burial sites and 509 ash plots.

''Based on the current combined burial statistics for both Queenstown and Frankton cemeteries, there should be sufficient interment plots for the next 50 years. And a similar timeframe for the ashes plots.''

The council proposed allocating $107,000 towards preparing block one and preparations included creating a circular roadway to minimise the distance caskets would need to be carried and ''allows future expansion into blocks two and three''.

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement