"What is to prevent the sites from being built-on in the future?"
This is one of the most frequent questions we are asked. The quick answer is:-
- Our natural burial grounds have no potential for property development, but they do have long-term value as pasture
- They are held on a 99 year lease that restricts the use of the land to natural burials and grazing
- The Planning Authority's permitted use of the land is for natural burials
- Planning Authority is exceptionally unlikely to approve any application for change of use where burials exist
- Each new burial adds to the complexity and cost of any future development and to the security of the site
- Legislative procedures that need to be followed for each proposed exhumation require strong justification
- Exhumation costs are likely to prohibit development - only major civil schemes such as HS2 can bear these costs
- Our burial grounds have a long-term, sustainable future as pasture