The opening of the ‘Tranquility Park Cemetery’ located at Tomlinson’s is experiencing delays due to the newly planned construction for a car park and chapel.
Cabinet spokesman Lionel Hurst, who previously indicated that the cemetery was “closer to readiness”, now states that no definitive timeline can be provided for when it will be opened.
He said that the Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph had expressed hope for the cemetery to be completed by the end of this month, but admitted that “we’re not sure about that”.
Hurst explained that the need for a car park is critical to prevent traffic congestion on the Sir Sydney Walling Highway which runs adjacent to the cemetery.
“Part of the reason is that we have to build a car park because when funerals take place, because we’re now a motoring public, dozens of vehicles will follow the hearse to the burial site, and they cannot clog the [Sir Sydney Walling] Highway,” he stated.
“And in order to ensure that there’s no desecration of any graves, it is absolutely necessary to have secure fencing all the way around the area where burials will take place,” he added.
According to last week’s Cabinet announcement A non-denominational chapel, where funerals can be conducted, also needs to be constructed.
The Tranquility Park Cemetery will feature uniform and tidy graves, and a GPS system will be used to mark them.
