Step forward with Acle burial plans

ANOTHER step forward has been taken to find more land to bury the dead in Acle.More land is needed because the parish council's Pyebush Lane cemetery only has enough space to accommodate burials for another six or seven years if new burials continue at their current rate of six or seven a week.

ANOTHER step forward has been taken to find more land to bury the dead in Acle.

More land is needed because the parish council's Pyebush Lane cemetery only has enough space to accommodate burials for another six or seven years if new burials continue at their current rate of six or seven a week.

Councillors discussed a range of options at a meeting last week including speaking to a Land Trust to see if it had any land that could be used, or even reusing existing burial plots.

Clerk Pauline James said she had sent a letter to the Broads Authority asking if it could help with the possible purchase of neighbouring farmland to extend the cemetery, which has been in existence for 30 years. So far, 310 of the 350 plots available at the cemetery have been taken.

An increasing number of people are choosing to be buried rather than cremated with six burials to every one or two cremations.

Mrs James believed the preference for burials reflected changing trends and said environmental concerns may be part of it with more people concerned about harmful emissions associated with cremations

The parish council has set up a sub-committee to look into finding more land.