Plans lodged for natural burial ground on outskirts of town
A FIELD on the outskirts of Laugharne could become a natural burial ground.
It would include a timber-framed reception building with solar panels on the roof for memorial services, and gradually feature more and more trees, with relatives able to commemorate their loved ones with a sapling.
Ashes could also be scattered there, and the burial ground would be open to the public to have a wander round.
Laugharne resident Michael Jones’s application to Carmarthenshire Council is being considered by planning officers.
The scheme also features a memorial shelter and car park.
The two-hectare site has been grazed by sheep and
cattle over the years and is a couple of hundred metres up from St Martin’s Church, on the other side of the road.
A plan would be drawn up to cover the short-term and long-term management of the area.
A planning statement submitted on behalf of Mr Jones said: “As the site gradually develops and establishes into an environmentally- friendly green woodland burial ground, it will bring positive benefits for wildlife
through the creation of new habitat and providing new life to an area otherwise, low-ecological value agricultural grassland.”
If approved by the council, it would be the second new natural burial ground in Carmarthenshire in two years.
Last year plans for a natural burial site at fields near Drefelin, in the west of the county, were approved.
The two fields – comprising wildflower meadows and woodland – are expected to be the resting place for up to 600 people.
Speaking at the time, 25-year-old applicant and entrepreneur Keith Hall said: “I’m very excited to be getting on with it.”
There are more than 270 natural burial sites in the UK, according to the Association of Natural Burial Grounds.
Some are in grand estates, some are run by large companies, and others are run by councils.