Couple lose £20k on natural burial ground project

lack of information. The council later gave its support but Mr Hopper, 53, said the owners of the site made it impossible to continue with the scheme by “putting covenants on everything” and not signing over the land.

He said: “We lost everything. In total we’d spent nearly £20,000 on it. There were five or six owners and the whole thing was a real pain in the neck.

“I think they want to sell the land to a developer as this will make them much more money.”

The application did attract some criticism from residents who were concerned about an increase in traffic and the parish council who were concerned about the potential for pollution to the water supply.

Mr Hopper, of Reginald Road, Maidstone, has not given up on his ambition to bring the cost of burials in line with cremations and is now going ahead with plans to turn a 31-acre plot he’s acquired in Northiam, East Sussex, into a similar facility.

Mr Hopper and wife Lorraine founded Tender Touch in 1995 and have five offices across Kent.

He thinks natural burials – with biodegradable coffins or urns – are the way forward and will become more popular as people become aware of the environmental impact of standard burials. He also has plans to bring in a revolutionary new cremation technique which uses high-pressure water, cutting the carbon footprint.