A COASTAL village cemetery on Anglesey looks set for expansion amid an “urgent” need to develop more burial plots.
As room is running out at the Y Rhyd burial ground at Cemaes, planners have received a full application for the change of use of agricultural land to extend the facility.
Llanbadrig Community Council have submitted the application to the Isle of Anglesey County Council.
The current cemetery on the north coast of the island is now at over 90% occupancy “with perhaps a further twenty burial plots available,” the plans state.
The plans add: “[This] equates over recent years to a maximum of two years requirement.
“It is therefore essential for additional local facilities to become available within a short time scale.
“There are considered to be no alternative local sites which could fittingly satisfy this urgent need.”
It also points to the land land being “historically earmarked” by the council for the purpose of extending the cemetery, with an initial survey carried out at its request.
The site would be merged with the existing cemetery to the east and south.
The plan notes: “There have been no observations or concerns raised regarding this proposal from the local authority Environmental Health Chief Public Protection Officer following pre-application consultation.”
The proposal outlines work including preparation of the ground for burial, demarcation of burial plots and footpath to access to burial plots.
Existing boundary plants and hedgerow will be retained as part of the development.
The plans state “every effort” will be made to “protect and enhance” existing ecological networks and ecosystems – including facilitating a “hedgehog highway” which will connect to adjacent land.
This is to enable hedgehogs to roam freely and forage for food and shelter and will be of benefit to other small native species, the plans say.
The plans add: “The site is the final resting place for many members of families from within the local community.
“The proposed extension would provide additional spaces for further members of those families in close proximity, all within the same overall facility, providing convenience locally and reducing the need for travel.”
The proposed plot is also considered “ideal as a natural extension to the existing facility” which “requires no construction work”.
It would also “provide adequate facility for the local community for many decades to come, maintaining both the function and character of the existing cemetery”.
The plans also say: “The land has always been earmarked for use as an extension to the cemetery as this is an overriding need and soon there will be no grave spaces available in the area.
“The land is not of sufficient size to impact on the farming activities in the location and is only used intermittently for grazing which can be carried out on most grades of land.
“Furthermore it has always been accepted that it would be put to cemetery use by the owners Anglesey County Council.”
