Brierfield Cemetery approval deferred by Pendle Council

In March the authority applied to itself for permission for the burial site, with car parking and landscaping, on land in Edge End Avenue, Brierfield, and accessed from Halifax Road.

The site is a parcel of open fields measuring 15 acres which the plans say will be 'protected, enhanced and significantly improved' with the current site described as 'unkept'.

Documents in the plan say that the new cemetery will relieve pressure on existing ones and cater for the burial needs in the area once neighbouring sites have reached capacity.

However, several concerns were raised over the loss of natural space and the impact on wildlife, flooding concerns and the impact on property prices.

Objections raised by the community include there being other more suitable sites in the borough, concerns over increased traffic on an “already busy road” and fears over the impact of parking, and that it will create an “eerie environment”.

Highlighting the Nelson burial ground as the only site in the area providing multi-faith burial provisions, the council has said it is 'crucial' that there is a new site to cater to the needs of the Muslim community.

On Monday, the Nelson, Brierfield and Reedley Committee met to discuss the plans with the expectation being for it to be approved.

However, the meeting was deferred until more information comes to light.

Cllr Yvonne Tennant said: “It is being deferred until we have more information.

“We didn’t think we had enough information, and it has been deferred until that is available. It is just things about gradients on pathways and things like that.”

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The council has also agreed to have a meeting with a group of residents who have raised their concerns about the proposal.

Cllr Sajjad Ahmed, who chaired the committee, said: “There was a last-minute report that came through.

“There were residents at the meeting, and they wanted to know what was going on, so we decided to defer it and go through it again.

“We are going to have a meeting with residents next month to provide them with more clarity and then decide what we are going to do at the next meeting.”