New cemeteries plan as burial plots fill up

NEW cemeteries are being planned in Cardiff as the city is running out of places to bury the dead.

Cardiff Council is considering using a 12.5 acre site north of the M4 on the A469 as a new burial site.

The new burial site would be less than 650 metres from Thornhill Cemetery which the council is warning could run out of space for new graves after June 2020.

If planning permission is granted, the new cemetery could provide muchneeded burial space in the city for the next 35 to 40 years.

Along with the new site north of the M4, the council is also looking for a site to open another cemetery in the east of the city.

Cardiff council’s cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment, councillor Michael Michael said: “Cardiff is one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities so it is essential that we continue to provide burial facilities for our residents over the short and longer term.

“Cardiff’s expansion means it is vital for a new site to be identified and constructed to cater for the city’s needs. The proposed site could provide a cost-effective solution, using existing resources based at Thornhill Cemetery and managed to the same high standards.”

Cardiff Bereavement Services currently carries out an average of 1,350 burials per year with 700 of those taking place at Thornhill Cemetery, providing 200 new graves per year.

Thornhill Cemetery, which opened in 1952, was expanded in 2010 and now covers 45 acres, but the council says there is no more room to expand the site due to surrounding houses and roads.

Cardiff Council will discuss the new cemetery plans at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, March 15.

A dedicated natural woodland burial section, to encourage native plants and wildlife to flourish, would take up a fifth of the new site if plans are approved.

The site, which is owned by the council and currently leased as farmland, would be managed from Thornhill Cemetery.