Town Council seek further public opinions regarding lack of burial space

*Trigger warnings: bereavement.

Please visit www.cruse.org.uk for bereavement support.

In our past discussions about Stroud's New Cemetery, we explained that there are only a few places left for people from our town to be buried within their own parish. It is estimated that there is only enough room for 3 years' burials based on the current regime. This is a national problem, due to the cost of developing new sites and a shortage of suitable, affordable land.

In June, Stroud Town Council ran a public consultation regarding the remaining space and gathered opinions regarding Stroud New Cemetery from 27th May – 29th July. Respondents indicated that they are in favour of amending our current system to allow plots only to be used by those who are residents of the parish or have a strong connection to the parish, with 84% of people approving or strongly approving of this change. The findings of the consultation have been taken to Council and they will determine if this affects policy on how the cemetery is managed.

When we talked to you before, many of you wanted to know if we could find more land for graves. In the past, Stroud Town Council and other groups like the Stroud Valleys Project looked for land to use for this purpose. But after a lot of looking, there is no suitable land for a new cemetery within our town boundary, or nearby.

Stroud Valleys Project continue to investigate the chance of a Green Burial site for Stroud District's use. This is unlikely to be positioned within walking distance from Stroud. Green burial is easier to accommodate than a formal burial ground, but it still needs the right plot with suitable vehicular access.

People who work in the funeral industry are looking for new ideas to help with the pressure on land and it is likely that cremation will become ever more popular, along with options such as resomation (also known as water creation), perhaps becoming a possibility within a few years.

We promise to keep you informed about any developments and signpost you to your options.

If you wish to share information, or have any questions please use this questionnaire to leave us your thoughts about how the Town Council should proceed.

The choices made and the costs involved would have an impact on the council tax payments of people living within the parish.