Decisiondaylooms fornewcemetery

A new cemetery in Wishaw is set to be given the go-ahead at a planning meeting later this month.

The site, near Dimsdale Road, has been identified by North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) as the current Cambusnethan Cemetery is expected to run out of new burial space within six years.

The plans i nclude a new building with storage and welfare facilities for operatives and visitors along with external storage compound, road upgrades, parking waiting area, landscaping and other features.

The application is contrary to the council’s own development plan, however NLC planning officials have given its recommendation to grant the proposal.

The plans will now go before councillors at a planning committee meeting on Monday, March 28.

The planning report states: “The main access onto Dimsdale Road would be to the north of this building, providing access to the main car parking areas with spaces for 28 cars and a bus drop-off layby.

“Additional parking for larger burials and mourners with reduced mobility would be available within the burials area.

“The existing hedgerow along Dimsdale Road would be retained, and new biodiversity planting include a small area of trees would be provided.

“Drainage of the site would be to an attenuation pond in the southern part of the site.

“Information provided in support of the application indicates that the existing Cambusnethan Cemetery is expected to run out of new burial space within six years, and a new cemetery is therefore needed i n order to meet the needs of the area.

“At present Cambusnethan Cemetery has about 200 burials per year, although over half of these involve existing family lairs so the number of burials requiring new lairs at the proposed new cemetery would initially be around 90 per year.

“Although the proposed development is contrary to the land use policy HCF2 B of the adopted local plan, that policy is now out of date as plans to develop this area as the South Wishaw Community Growth Area have been abandoned.”