Controversy over Carnarvon Golf Course cemetery proposal
8/29/2025
In short:
A proposal to convert the Carnarvon Golf Course in Lidcombe into a modern memorial park and cemetery has prompted fierce community opposition, driven by concerns over loss of green space and inadequate consultation.
What’s next?
An eight-week community consultation is underway, and local council, MPs and residents are calling on the NSW Government to immediately rule out Carnarvon and consider alternative sites.
Controversy over Carnarvon Golf Course cemetery proposal
The NSW Government, through Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP), has proposed converting the government-owned Carnarvon Golf Course in Lidcombe into a large‐scale cemetery—its preferred site following review of over 1 000 locations.
The plan includes up to 70 000 burial plots and is designed as a “modern memorial park” featuring open green spaces, walking paths, and a reflection lake. It would be the first new public cemetery in central Sydney in eighty years.
However, local officials and community leaders have strongly condemned the proposal. Cumberland City Mayor Ola Hamed labelled the plan “unfair” and warned that Western Sydney already carries significant burdens, urging alternatives in eastern or northern Sydney. Auburn MP Lynda Voltz criticised the proposal as “short-sighted”, “lazy” and “a betrayal of public trust”, pointing out the absence of genuine consultation or alternative site options.
Community mobilisation includes a petition with nearly 5 000 signatures and a rally at Coleman Park, organised by Voltz and Council to demonstrate local resistance.
Carnarvon Golf Club’s general manager emphasised their lease runs until 2035 and expressed concern about the one-option nature of the consultation, questioning its authenticity.
MMP’s formal eight-week community consultation began in mid-August 2025 to gather feedback from residents, community groups and faith representatives, which will inform the Government’s final decision.