Continued planning for cemeteries is needed to provide for future generations. A cemetery demand study indicated that Sydney’s cemeteries will reach capacity within the next 30 years, with approximately 283,000 burial spaces needed to meet the demand across the metropolitan area.

The Macarthur Memorial Park (MMP) will be multidenominational, catering for all religious and ethnic groups. The MMP will also provide 35.5 hectares of publicly accessible parkland.

The heritage listed outbuildings located on the MMP site, to the south of Varro Ville Homestead, will be restored to facilitate public use.

A landscape masterplan has been prepared by Florence Jaquet Landscape Architect to guide development across the entire site. This proposal offers a unique solution to the preservation of the Scenic Hills qualities, one which offers a sensitive landscaped setting, responding to a unique site, with unique qualities and history.

The MMP has been designed to integrate with the existing topography, watercourses and vegetation. While some visual changes will occur, the MMP will be a contemporary memorial park, resembling landscaped parklands. To minimise visual impacts, the proposed MMP includes a ‘no build area,’ with only roads, fencing and plaques proposed.