Cemetery plan revealed for Iwade
Comments |
A new cemetery to serve the Sittingbourne area
could be ready for use by the summer.
Swale council has set aside £100,000 for the development in
Iwade behind All Saints C of E Church in The Street.
The new site is needed because burial space at Sittingbourne
Cemetery, in Bell Road, has now virtually run out.
It will be operated by Swale council and ongoing costs are
estimated at £10,000 a year. Part of the proposal also includes the
transfer of a Grade II listed barn to the council for use
associated with the cemetery.
Officers had negotiated with the London Crematorium Company,
which runs the Garden of England Crematorium in Bobbing, to try to
resolve the need for more burial space, but no agreement could be
reached as the company’s management is concentrating on developing
the crematorium business.
Several approaches were also made to the Home Office, now the
Ministry of Justice, on the possible re-use of old graves, but
extensive research on suitable graves would still need to be
completed after any legislation was passed.
Other potential sites proved unsuitable mainly because they were
considered unacceptable by the Environment Agency.
In the end the land behind the church was handed over to the
council by Ward Homes, which is building houses close to the new
cemetery site, after a section 106 agreement.
Len Mayatt, leisure manager for Swale council, said: “We are in
the process of putting the contract out to tender.
“We hope that the new cemetery will have its first burial at the
end of June, beginning of July.”
The cemetery will also serve Sheppey because its cemetery in
Halfway has a maximum of 10 years until it reaches capacity.
The council is looking to find space on Sheppey, but without
success at the moment.
Thursday, March 18 2010
The KM Group does not moderate comments.
Please click here for our house rules.