Expansion plan for Great Harwood cemetery (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Expansion plan for Great Harwood cemetery

11:03am Sunday 5th August 2012 in Great Harwood By Emma Cruces, Reporter

PLANS to to create a £160,000 ‘new’ cemetery extension are in the pipeline following fears space would run out in a few years.

Great Harwood Cemetery, which has served the area since 1887, was found to only have enough new burial space for two to three years, based on average burial and cremation rates.

Hyndburn Council’s Cabinet has now approved the purchase of nearby farm land for the development of an additional cemetery site to act as an extension for the existing one.

Great Harwood councillor Ciaran Wells said the plan would be an immense to relief to residents who plan to be buried in the same place as their loved ones.

Coun Wells said generations of Great Harwood, Rishton and Clayton-le-Moors families were buried at the cemetery and it was important it remained in use.

He said: “Residents aren’t really aware how limited the space had become, but when we looked at the figures, it was time for something to be done. It will be massively important to local people that the cemetery reamins in use as generations of families are buried there.”

Officers in the council’s property services department were asked to approach a local land owner to secure burial space, particularly for families residing in the north side of the borough.

The extension is approximately 6.32 acres in size and is currently agricultural land located off Lee Lane in Great Harwood close to the current site.

It is expected to cost just under £80,000 and will require £80,000 in development work. The ‘new’ cemetery will not be directly adjacent to the existing cemetery because DEFRA guidance would not allow the next door field to be used as a cemetery because of its proximity to a water course.

Planning permsision is yet to be obtained, but officers’ initial consultation with planning colleagues is said to have indicated that they would have no objections.

If the new cemetery was not constructed it would result in Great Harwood and Rishton people having to bury or inter family members at a cemetery in Accrington or outside the borough.

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