Kilcrumper works well underway - pre-sale of plots 'not possible'
Works are ongoing at Kilcrumper cemetery in Fermoy, Cork County Council have confirmed. These include the installation of new beams, repairs to footpaths and the base for a columbarium wall within the existing graveyard.
Now underway for well over a month, The Avondhu queried the matter on April 4 and having issued several follow-ups to the council on the matter, the Cork County Council press office eventually issued a response to the query on May 2 outlining the nature of the works.
Although it appeared that the works were an expansion of the graveyard as it seemed that the land was being divided into numbered plots, however, no confirmation of the same was issued by the council.
Some criticisms have been levelled as it was outlined by members of the public that plots at Kilcrumper new cemetery have not been sold in advance ‘for years’.
“You can’t buy a pre-sale plot, but if you die, you can buy two adjacent plots. It’s not right. People want to get their affairs in order and I just want to go buy the plot and be finished with it. Nobody seems to care about the ordi
nary Joe Soap and they don’t seem to be doing
anything about it,” one frustrated individual told TheAvondhu. NEED TO SHOW 'COMPASSION'
It is believed that due to bedrock, plots at Kilcrumper new cemetery cannot be dug as deep as elsewhere, extending to 1.5 metres in some places and around 2.5 in others.
“There’s numerous people who have been refused to buy plots in advance. I can understand the council’s point of view, but they don't seem to be doing anything about the ground. They’re not doing anything to fix the issue. I don’t think it’s fair on the elderly. They need to show a bit of compassion,” the individual added.
In December of 2014, a decision was taken by Cork County Council to only sell plots to the families of the deceased, rather than to those who wish to purchase a plot before they die. A recent statement issued to TheAvondhu by Cork County Council outlined: “Cork County Council do not pre-sell plots as we cannot confirm to the purchasers in advance the number of burials that could take place in a plot if advance purchased. Pre- sale of plots at Kilcrumper Cemetery is not possible due to underlying rock within the graveyard as the number of burials permittable in a plot is in many cases subject to change once a grave is excavated.”
In 2019, a Cork County Council spokesperson outlined that a survey company was procured to undertake a non-intrusive survey to establish the exact ground conditions in the area. The results indicated that the majority of the graveyard has evidence of bedrock at a depth of approximately 1.5m, which is a depth that would only allow for single burials.