Council moves forward with plans to create burial spaces for Southwark residents
16 December 2016
Southwark Council has announced plans to create traditional lawn burial spaces in a currently unused former nursery cemented area of Camberwell New Cemetery. The proposal, subject to full planning permission, was announced at a stakeholder meeting last night and follows a public consultation with local community members and local funeral directors.
The former Honor Oak Nursery site at Camberwell New Cemetery will be used to create approximately 1,000 burial plots by bringing the currently unused site into use as a new burial area.
The consultation included alternative burial options for the site including meadow and woodland burials, but each was ruled out due to little demand from local users. According to feedback from funeral directors, as little as 1% of Southwark residents requested meadow or woodland burials recently. Instead most residents opted for traditional burials with a memorial headstone to commemorate their loved ones. Pursuing the meadow or woodland burial option would not meet local demand as it would still be necessary to create spaces in cemeteries to do so.
The decision also considers the needs of Southwark’s economically disadvantaged communities who currently make up 38 per cent of the borough’s population. Any decision to cease local burial provision in its entirety would unfairly affect poorer residents who will be forced to pay the more costly non-resident/private cemetery fees.
Councillor Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for environment and public realm, said: “We have to make decisions based on the best interests of all Southwark residents. Although, the meadow and woodland option came out favourably in the consultation in reality there is little demand for this and we would still have to create space in our near capacity cemeteries to meet demand.
"We listened very carefully to the environmental concerns expressed by some respondents so revised the original design to include plans to further protect the natural landscape, biodiversity and wildlife. It is my longer term ambition that cemeteries are recognised and valued as the public assets they are whether for their heritage, environmental education or leisure. This proposal will help deliver a fair burial service for all.”
Burial shortages is a London wide issue, with several council’s considering how best to continue local burial provision. Southwark’s proactive approach aims to address the shortage in the short term by creating spaces in Camberwell Old Cemetery and Camberwell New Cemetery while it considers its longer term plan of action. During a public consultation in 2011, residents backed the decision to create spaces locally rather than out of borough burial or other green spaces in Southwark.
The council still awaits a decision from the Diocese about creating burial plots in consecrated areas of Area D1 in Cambertwell New Cemetery and Area Z in Camberwell Old Cemetery.
Page last updated: 16 December 2016
