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The cemetery at Marston Lane in Bedworth is deemed to have burial capacity to meet the needs of the Borough for another 25-30 years.

The Council is undertaking appraisals of land adjacent to Marston Lane with a view to extending the cemetery, giving it a total capacity of approximately 60 years. Whilst further tests are required, early indications are positive.

The Council has been proactive in seeking other potential sites across the Borough, with any available non-Green belt sites in Council ownership being routinely  reviewed and assessed, but to date it has not possible to identify a suitable location for a new cemetery. 

Consideration has been given to using land at some of our existing recreation grounds, but this option has now been discounted as it would result in loss of amenity for local residents. 

For a site to be suitable for burial purposes, issues such as flooding potential, location and previous uses of the land must be investigated. Water levels must also be examined to establish whether there is an unsaturated zone. Should any land ultimately be deemed suitable, planning permission would then be required. 

The Council continues to be proactive in seeking new ground for burial purposes, and does so with the interests of local residents fully at heart. 

“There has been much speculation in the media and it’s important that our residents understand the facts as they stand. The situation hasn’t changed - there is ample burial space to meet the needs of the Borough at Marston Lane and it’s likely that the site can be extended further. We remain proactive in our search for other suitable sites across the Borough, for instance, we are currently investigating opportunities to extend the capacity at Oaston Road and we are hopeful that our work with The Muslim Society will secure a further 80 plots with the removal of a roadway. There may be some opportunity for additional land on other parts of the Oaston Road site, but the capacity is very limited and will go nowhere near meeting the needs of Nuneaton. Furthermore, early indications suggest that at least part of this site may fail to meet the strict criteria required in any case.

As we have explained, finding land for burial purposes is a complex process and the Council has limited land at its disposal; obviously, the use of private land is a possibility and if local funeral directors have new ideas or suggestions, we’d be delighted to discuss them, as always, our door is open for discussion and always has been. Of course, any future decision on burial sites will be taken with the full interests of local residents at heart.”

Cllr Ian Lloyd, Portfolio Holder for Arts and Leisure