Have Your Say On Extending Beccles Cemetery

People are being invited to give their views on proposals to extend Beccles Cemetery and provide additional burial spaces.

People are being invited to give their views on proposals to extend Beccles Cemetery and provide additional burial spaces. East Suffolk District Council recently reviewed its management of cemeteries and closed churchyards and as part of this, looked at the capacity of council-owned cemeteries and where additional burial space could be found. Suitable council-owned land adjacent to Beccles Cemetery has been identified and proposals have been made to extend the cemetery into this land. The Council has commissioned AREA Landscape Architects to investigate options for sensitively expanding the existing cemetery into the area of land to the south of the site, known as Beccles Meadow. Beccles Meadow is a valuable public open space and an important area for wildlife, and this has been considered as part of the proposals. As well as increasing burial and cremation plots to meet the needs of local people, the tranquillity and biodiversity of the site will be retained as much as possible. Councillor James Mallinder, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for the Environment said: “We feel that these proposals carefully balance the needs of the local community by ensuring there are sufficient burial spaces for residents whilst enhancing and protecting this valuable open space. The cemetery extension will be sensitively managed to ensure it remains a welcoming open space for the benefit of residents and wildlife alike.” The proposed extension will allow for traditional burial and cremation plots, with strict rules on ornamentation to allow for maintenance and to protect the natural environment, as well as meadow burial plots where grass will be left to grow longer in the summer.  Green burials will also be available. The extension will provide over 1,000 new burial plots and a further 1,000 locations for the internment of ashes. To allow the woodland to thrive and provide space for burials, a small number of selected trees will be removed from the site. The existing footpath network will remain, to provide routes through the site and a circular route around the outside will enable walkers to enjoy the meadow without entering the burial area if they wish. View the consultation document . Have your say by emailing comments to leisure@eastsuffolk.gov.uk by 31 December 2021.