Cemeteries set for £1m improvements
Council vows to make graveyards look more dignified
02.06.2018 R e n f r ews h i r e ’ s cemeteries are in line for a £1 million boost to improve surroundings for people to pay their respects.
Drainage systems, roads and pathways will be the main focus of the funding in a bid to ensure the cemeteries are dignified places for bereaved families to visit.
There are nine cemeteries in Renfrewshire, consisting of more than 56,000 lairs, and the area undertakes on average 548 burials every year.
Half a million pounds will be spent in Paisley’s Hawkhead Cemetery alone – which is the area’s most used site.
Drainage and roads infrastructure will be upgraded to ensure it can continue to support almost half of Renfrewshire’s yearly burials.
Bishopton and Inchinnan Cemeteries have both been allocated £ 75,000 as part of the programme of improvements.
A further £350,000 will be invested in Renfrewshire’s remaining cemeteries including Ark l e s t o n , Broomward, Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “We recognise the need to provide an appropriate setting for those who have lost a loved one to not only lay them to rest, but also for them to return to visit.
“This investment will ensure that our cemeteries will see a significant improvement which will benefit our local communities and provide a space befitting of the circumstance.
“It is further evidence of our ambitions to support our communities and provide them with high quality facilities across Renfrewshire.”
The council spends almost £ 9 million on StreetScene activities across Renfrewshire which includes street cleaning, grass cutting and cemetery maintenance and the £ 1million investment will supplement this activity to ensure cemeteries are able to continue to support communities appropriately, Renfrewshire Council added.
The programme is set to commence this autumn.
For more information, visit www. renfrewshire. gov. uk/ cemeteries