Planning application submitted for new cemetery in Loughborough

The Council says the new 14-hectare cemetery could provide burial space in the town for the next 300 years and it will replace the existing facility in Leicester Road.

The proposed new site, which is located off Watermead Lane, to the rear of Nanpantan Sports Ground, received the most support during a public consultation in 2018.

Cllr Jenny Bokor, the Council’s lead member for Loughborough said: “The town needs a new cemetery and following the consultation it was clear the Nanpantan site was the most appropriate.

“We have been carrying out more detailed studies of the site and we are now pleased to submit the planning application. It will go through the usual planning process and we would encourage people to have a look at the plans. There will be opportunities to comment during the planning process.”

The Council plans to develop the cemetery in phases with the first phase including space for over 5,000 burials and parking for 40 vehicles. At just over 5 hectares, the first phase will last around 100 years.

The Council is committed to being a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and the application reflects this aim. The cemetery will be the first in the country where the road surfaces will be partly made from recycled plastic. Each tonne of the road materials will contain the equivalent of 80,000 plastic bottles. There will also be six electric car charging stations and It is also proposed for waste bins and outdoor furniture to be made from recycled plastic.

Vehicles would be able to access the proposed site via Nanpantan Road. The access road to the sports facility would be extended towards the proposed site.

The initial cost of getting the cemetery up and running with one-hectare of burial space is around £610,000.

If the application is granted, work would start next year with the aim of the site being ready for burials by 2021-2022.

The application can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2qUsxhV

The current cemetery in Leicester Road is due to run out of space in 2022.