Amid the bid to extend Spalding Cemetery into a playing field, there are calls for a new out of town site to be identified.
South Holland District Council says it only has 12 months of burial space left at Spalding Cemetery.
It’s set to submit a planning application to turn most of Chiltern Drive Playing Field in to burial ground, something its planning committee refused in 2015 after an objection from Sport England.
The council hopes it will get around the problem by leaving part of the area for public space and ‘acquiring’ a site in Wygate Park, albeit a half-hour walk away from Chiltern Drive.
At the Spalding Town Forum last week some members asked for a new cemetery to be looked at outside of Spalding given the extension would only last 20 years on the council’s estimates of 40 burials taking place a year.
Member David Jones said: “We should be considering other places to set up a brand new cemetery.
“Personally i think it should be next to the crematorium at Surfleet.
“Nobody is going to build houses anywhere near that so it seems a logical place.”
The district council is set to be to be dissolved soon as part of the Local Government Review with the cemetery likely to be taken on by a newly formed parish council if it gets the go ahead, or the new unitary authority.
As a result of that South Holland says it will not buy any new land.
Councillors and officers also claimed people in Spalding wanted to be buried alongside family members.
John Bland told the forum that the issue of families being in different locations was not a new problem.
“That was also an issue when the cemetery was open (in 1894),
“There were people whose siblings who were buried in the cemetery because the church yard was full.
“It’s the same with every town that’s got a cemetery.
“Once the cemetery or church yards are full you need to find somewhere elsewhere and that includes separating families.”
The Voice asked readers on Facebook their thoughts, the majority saying they’d rather be cremated.
Mark Loosemore was one of those who responded.
He said: “I had always wanted to be buried so there would be something for future researchers to find, but I researched my family tree and discovered that the majority of burials had long since been lost to time or the vagaries of plot licences.
“There was no longer a headstone to help with my research, so I changed my mind. For those who still believe in burials a more permanent larger location anywhere would be preferable to a short term extension that interferes with the limited availability of play areas.”
Paul Parkin said no extensions should be ‘at the expense of children being outside and exercising’.
“A bigger out of town site landscaped with walks and on a bus route would be far better, especially one that is future proof. 20 years is not long enough.
Vicky Woolsey said: “I’ve got my plots, but I’d prefer to be buried in the town.”
* A resident of Chiltern Drive contacted The Voice to say she supported the cemetery expansion.
Linda Lambert and her husband Alan have lived there for more than 35 years, and claims that the deeds to her house state that the playing field would eventually be a part of the cemetery.
“My dad also lived on the street and they told him that too,” she said. “About 95 per cent of those that use it are dog walkers and many bring cars.
“I used to walk our dogs there but I don’t now because you don’t know what other peoples’ dogs are like and most of them are not on a lead.
“The little children will still have somewhere to play whereas it can attract bigger children.
“We have had trouble before with the police involved and there should be less of that if it’s a cemetery.”
