Cemetery bid gets go-ahead

Plans to extend a cemetery in Long Sutton have finally been given the go-ahead.

Plans for Cinder Ash Cemetery faced the possibility of being “called in” by central government after a request by a member of the public.

That would have meant the government themselves would have decided on whether the land from the park should be allocated for the century.

But they’ve chosen not to call in the application and last week South Holland District Council gave it the go-ahead.

A potential new cemetary had been mooted off Seagate Road, however Long Sutton Parish Council said that would cost £600,000 to tax payers to develop.

It’s application for the extensions states: “Many have expressed a wish to be buried in the same cemetery as their families, with some families having three of four generations interred there.”

In a statement after permission was granted, a spokesman for Long Sutton Parish Council said: “Long Sutton Parish Council are pleased to announce that the parish council’s plans to extend the Cinder Ash Cemetery on land originally allocated in 1917 for burial land has been approved following the Secretary of State’s decision not to call in the application and to leave the decision to the local planning authority.

“It has taken the council many years to achieve the permission which will relieve a possible £600,000 cost to parishioners, (the proposed cost of providing a new cemetery in Seagate Road the only site previously approved by SHDC) or the possibility of having no burial site in the parish once the present cemetery became full.

“The parish council felt strongly that this cost was too much for parishioners to have added to their council tax bill when the present cemetery and infrastructure already existed on land earmarked for this purpose by forward thinking councillors in 1917.

“This has been a long battle with previous refused applications over the past years.

“The parish council can now plan to install a boundary fence for the additional land, ensuring all families within Long Sutton, may be buried together for some years ahead.

“The South Holland District Council decision is a welcome relief to such an emotive issue.

“The parish council wish to thank the residents, the Long Sutton and District Civic Society who sent letters of support, Long Sutton Athletic FC for withdrawing their objections following a constructive meeting with the parish council, Councillor

Andy Tennant for his support and for making the case for approval at the South Holland District Council meeting when the application was discussed and to the clerk to the council for her work in relation to the application and addressing issues along the way.”