Government buries cemetery plans at grand Sydney estate
Controversial plans to surround one of Sydney’s grandest colonial mansions with burial grounds appear to have ended with Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust walking away from plans to buy the Fernhill Estate in Mulgoa.
The Rookwood trust had long chased the opportunity to buy the central parcel of the historic Fernhill Estate that was being sold by Adelaide-based finance house Angas Securities for about $30 million. It began due diligence in March.
The trust planned to preserve the homestead and heritage landscape and had offered to create a buffer of more than 25ha around the Georgian mansion and another 220ha of bio-banked land on the site at Mulgoa in far western Sydney.
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The rest of the property was to become a predominantly lawn-style cemetery, in which small lawn plaques would be used in areas visible from the homestead.
But the proposal sparked fierce opposition from NSW cabinet ministers, who lobbied to head off the plan that would have transformed Fernhill Estate, a former home of bankrupt property tycoon Warren Anderson.
Anderson says he sent letters to politicians at all levels of government in an effort to save the estate from being turned into a cemetery. “I’m absolutely happy,” he says. “Fernhill is very precious to our family, we spent 30-odd years there.”
He praised Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, saying he had “seen the light as far Fernhill is concerned” by halting Rookwood’s plans. “The people of Mulgoa were terrified that this would happen,” he says.
Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust administrator Jason Masters and chief executive George Simpson say the trust’s due diligence period was extended by one month to October 24. “With no formal approval from the minister at this time, RGCRT is unable to proceed with the purchase of Fernhill Estate,” they say in a statement. “As such, we understand the vendor will place the property back on the market.”
The people of Mulgoa were terrified that this would happen
They say that with the option of acquiring Fernhill no longer available and Sydney cemeteries beginning to reach capacity, the trust would urgently review land for cemetery use in western Sydney.
The NSW Minister for Lands and Forestry, Paul Toole, declined to comment. Agent Ken Jacobs of Christie’s International also declined to comment but is likely to re-market the property.
Angas Securities says in a statement that due diligence has been satisfactorily completed and the terms of contract have been agreed. “As there is now a seven-day grace period for the contract to be signed and that the minister’s approval has yet to be finalised, the process remains under way and it therefore would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
However, the group is under pressure to repay debenture holders who are owed about $135 million. The group says it has sold smaller allotments in the Mayfair precinct of Fernhill and is reaping strong returns from biobanking sales where it has already recorded $20.65 million worth of sales, with further deals in the works.
This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.
