Waverley Cemetery

Direct Client Group GSA
Sectors
- Public Domain & Community
Services
- Civil
- Structural
Value $2M
Location
- Sydney

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Waverley Council developed a master plan to improve the amenity of Waverley Cemetery and its interface with the public coastal walk. The cemetery, located in a confined space within a densely built-up area, has unique heritage characteristics, and the Council also sought to increase its burial capacity.

Northrop was engaged to provide civil and structural advice to support the development of the plan. The age and sensitivity of the site presented a number of challenges for our team, including unstable retaining walls, ageing and deteriorated stormwater drainage systems, and dilapidated internal roads.

The site had also suffered storm and landslide damage in June 2016, when rough seas destroyed much of the adjacent cliff face. As a result, walkers on the popular Bondi to Bronte coastal path were diverted through the cemetery grounds for several years. Legacy stormwater infrastructure may also have contributed to long-standing geotechnical instability in the area.

Throughout the project, our civil advice was developed in line with strict heritage constraints and was delivered with sensitivity to both marked and potentially unmarked graves. Given the site’s prominence and heavy pedestrian use, the works attracted considerable public interest and required careful planning and communication.