A controversial plan to expand Spalding Cemetery over a public playing field could be back in play.
Plans to turn Chiltern Drive Playing Field into a burial ground were turned down by South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee ten years ago.
The open space off West Elloe Avenue is next to the cemetery accessed off Pinchbeck Road and backs on to the Vernatt’s Nature Reserve.
In 2015, the authority argued that the current cemetery only had four years worth of space left and that extending it over Chiltern Drive was the only option.
The application was refused and the cemetery has not been extended since.
Now though tests are being carried out at Chiltern Drive as the district council is looking again at whether to extend the cemetery there.
A spokesman for South Holland District Council said: “As part of the council’s due diligence process the ground opposite the cemetery is currently being tested under the new DEFRA rules to see whether it would be viable, which could take several months to complete.
“Whilst it is not possible to give an exact indication of when capacity would be reached, the council would like to reach a positive position within the next 12 months to help protect the service for the foreseeable future.”
When asked how space had been found over the last ten years, a spokesman said: “Work has been able to continue over the past ten years for a variety of reasons, including the new crematorium in 2015, collaboration with parish councils, changing the pricing structure to be more fair and reasonable towards local residents and roadway changes to help maximise space.”
When the plans were submitted in 2015 a petition with more than 100 signatures was submitted in opposition and Sport England objected to the loss of the playing field and it not being replaced.
Clare Moore, of Ladywood Road, was among those who campaigned ten years ago to save the playing field.
“It is used by so many people,” she said. “We should cherish these spaces, not take them away, as we know they have a positive effect on mental health.
“Children and families go there to play, to meet friends and kick a ball around.
“So many people discovered the area during lockdown and still use it.
“As we know children are on their screens too much which is detrimental to their wellbeing this is an area they use we have so few open spaces in Spalding.”
