As Australia's major cities continue to grow, there's fierce debate about how to deal with a looming shortage of burial space.
Sydney's cemeteries are nearly full, but new sites like the one near Campbelltown are facing staunch opposition from locals. As experts note, "nobody wants a cemetery in their backyard".
Sydney hasn't built a new cemetery in half a century, despite its population more than doubling over that period.
A 2021 review found Sydney's cemetery capacity would be exhausted by 2051, while some religious and cultural groups could run out of burial space in as little as three years.
Kazi Ali, who chairs the Muslim Cemeteries Board, says the situation is desperate, as his community searches for more culturally-appropriate burial space.
"It's a nightmare. The land we've got available at this point is not going to last for more than three to four years," Mr Ali said.
After running out of room in its own cemetery on Sydney's western outskirts, the Muslim community was offered 4,500 plots at a nearby Catholic cemetery, but even they were filling up.
"It is a situation that is never-ending because people will die, our religion doesn't allow cremation, Jewish doesn't allow cremation, most of the Catholic doesn't allow cremation, so in that case, you need normal burial lands," Mr Ali said.
Major new cemetery 'devastating' for locals
Construction has now begun on a major new cemetery near Campbelltown, which proponents say will go some way in addressing the crisis, but faces staunch opposition from locals.
Jacqui Kirkby is the convenor of the Scenic Hills Association, whose members of residents, farmers and local Carmelite friars fought the development for the last decade.
She said it was "outrageous" the cemetery could be built there against the community's wishes.
"It represents just how broken the planning system is, and this community has no confidence in the planning system," Ms Kirkby said.
"All three MPs, federal and state have spoken out against it, council rejected it, the vast majority of councillors, Liberal, Labor and independents, they've all said no to this cemetery. Only two people voted for this cemetery on council."
Ms Kirkby's 160-year-old homestead is in the middle of the 113-hectare cemetery being constructed.
"We've been told by valuers that the home is devalued to the point of perhaps being unsaleable, and that puts us in a very difficult position," she said.
"We were devastated, absolutely devastated. I just think this cemetery will have a cloud over it forever, for the way in which it's come into being."
'Nobody wants a cemetery in their backyard'
Despite a rise in the proportion of Australians opting for cremation, about a third of the population is buried in a cemetery.
The Catholic Cemetery Trust, which will operate the new cemetery near Campbelltown, warns it would only go some way in averting a shortage of burial space.
Trust chief operating officer Lauren Hardgrove said a lack of strategic planning was to blame for the situation facing communities.
"Nobody wants a cemetery in their backyard, and that's what we're actually up against, but the fact that there's been no forethought in planning for cemeteries makes it an issue where we don't have any alternative," Ms Hardgrove said.
"When we look at sourcing land, we're really limited in what our options are, particularly in regards to zoning, accessibility, and all of those things that need to be taken into consideration.
"If it was an essential part of the planning process I don't think we'd be facing the same objections that we do."
Designers think outside the box for burial solutions
With no sign of a long-term solution to the crisis, some want a complete re-think about how cemeteries are designed.
David Neustein is a Sydney architect whose studio is looking at new ways of designing cemeteries — among them is a "burial belt".
The "burial belt" model involves burying bodies with native trees rather than rows of headstones, to avoid having to clear land or use scarce space for new cemeteries.
Mr Neustein, who has also worked closely with the Jewish and Islamic communities in Sydney on cemetery designs, said it was possible to look at major change while respecting religious and cultural practices.
"Minorities are still not well cared for in a predominantly Anglo society.
"As multicultural as New South Wales is — and Rookwood Cemetery [in western Sydney] for example is the most demographically diverse cemetery on Earth — but we still haven't embraced the needs of the Muslim community, who have the greatest demand now for burial," Mr Neustein said.
"Fundamentally there is no reason why natural burials — so burial without headstones, without coffins, without embalming in a way that allows nature to recover the ground — there is nothing that precludes that in Islam or Judaism.
"But that isn't necessarily for everybody, and I'm talking about a kind of gradual change rather than sweeping changes that would come in overnight and displace people's traditional views or their expectations around burial."
In a statement, a spokesman for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said it was taking a "whole-of-government approach" to address the shortage of burial space shortages.
This included finding land that would be suitable for new cemeteries and investigating the re-purposing of government land.
The department has also updated planning rules so that it can assess cemeteries of 5,000 or more plots as State Significant Developments, "which includes community consultation".
"Key considerations in determining suitable sites for cemeteries include zoning, size, topography, geology, flood and bushfire risks, transport connectivity, compatibility with surrounding land uses, and potential acquisition and development costs," the spokesman said.
