Grave plots in short supply in Perth.

perth: Local authority favours farmland south of Scone Palace for new burial ground

A space shortage in Perth has triggered plans for a new cemetery on the edge of the city.

As council chiefs prepare for thousands of new homes to cope with a soaring population, the search is on for a place to bury the city’s dead.

A study revealed Wellshill Cemetery will reach capacity within the next 20 years and Perth and Kinross Council officials say a new site of about 20 acres will be needed.

Farmland off Isla Road, south of Scone Palace, has been identified for the new graveyard.

If the land is deemed unsuitable, the local authority will consider two other locations forming part of the Perth West development.

The alternative sites are both off the A9, west of Broxden.

All three sites are likely to be included in the council’s revised Local Development Plan (LDP), which will go before councillors on Wednesday.

The document sets out a master plan for development over the next decade and identifies the need to search for more cemetery space around Milnathort and at neighbouring Blairgowrie and Rattray.

A local authority spokesman said: “There is currently an identified need for a new cemetery within the Perth area, as Wellshill Cemetery will reach capacity within the next 20 years.”

He said: “While Isla Road was the preferred option, investigations are not well enough advanced on the assessment of ground conditions to determine if the land is suitable for cemetery use.

“As a result, it is proposed to identify both locations – Isla Road and Perth West – within the proposed LDP as areas of search for cemetery provision.”

Wellshill Cemetery was opened in 1844 at Dovecot Lane, about a half-mile from the city centre, and has expanded north over the decades.

It took over part of the old Jeansfield Recreation Ground in the later 20th Century.

The cemetery includes graves managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, as well as the resting places of 350 Polish soldiers who died while defending Scotland from the Nazis.

Other notable people buried at Wellshill include the poet William Soutar and Alexander Thompson, who won a Victoria Cross in India.

The council also operates cemeteries in Kinnoull, Scone and Kinfauns.

There is currently an identified need for a new cemetery within the Perth area, asWellshill Cemetery will reach capacity within the next 20 years

Picture: Steve MacDougall. Wellshill Cemetery was opened in 1844 and has expanded over the decades.