A total of eight new potential burial sites have been put forward as Sheffield City Council strives to find more space with the time running out for future burials.
This could mean an increase of up to 50 percent of cemeteries on the current 16 there are located around the city.
This outcome comes following a City Council meeting which occurred on Wednesday 19th March, where the proposal for new sites was looked at, along with possible other solutions being offered.
In order to source these new possible cemeteries, the working group charged with finding new locations; examined existing cemeteries for possible extensions, reviewed all Council-owned land over five acres in size and considered a range of sites proposed by officers and partners, including sites not owned by the Council.
The official report on the proposal said: “The decision to ensure adequate burial provision is in alignment with these overarching priorities and demonstrates the Council’s commitment to serving all aspects of the city’s infrastructure and the diverse needs of its population.”
The report also highlighted the “increasing pressure” they are under from the community of Sheffield in having to resolve this issue.
On the issue of burial spaces, Councillor Kurtis Crossland said: “one of those few absolute mission critical things that we need to deal with as a city.”
A crucial element of this decision was that Sustainable Urban Development and Planning must consider the rapidly growing population of the City of Sheffield therefore the new burial sites were an absolute necessity due to the rapidly diminishing space in the current cemetery locations.
The next steps now being conducted for the project include; finding funding for the proposed development, conduction further stakeholder discussions and developing projects that are specific to the possible sites located, with the final decisions being made by the Finance and Performance Committee, following the Council’s governance procedures.
Less than a decade until burial sites are predicted to run out in Sheffield
