Decision on natural burial ground in Walsall put on hold
A plan for a natural burial ground to increase the amount of services it holds by more than six times has been put on hold after a tense planning meeting.
Walsall Council’s planning committee had been recommended to approve the application to increase permitted burials on the land in Winterley Lane, Rushall, on Thursday from 50 a year to more than 300 annually.
But a number of members raised concerns about the impact the changes would have on traffic flow on the narrow land and potential parking issues – despite highways officers raising no objections to the plan.
They defeated the recommendation by eight votes to six but the meeting took a further twist when committee chairman Mike Bird – along with senior legal and planning officers – said they needed to provide strong planning grounds for refusal.
He said failure to do so could see the authority’s decision defeated on appeal and also leave them with a hefty costs bill.
The impasse was broken when it was decided to defer the decision to allow the applicants to carry out further traffic surveys to alleviate concerns.
It was already an emotionally-charged meeting with the public gallery full of worried residents who are against the plans.
Neighbours had also signed petitions and voiced objections when planning permission had been granted for the natural burial ground last year due to fears of the impact it would have on the environment and traffic.
Access and parking issues
Ruth Meeke, who owns farmland next to the site, and has led campaigns against the development, said the increase was being done to improve the financial viability of the site for the developers.
She told the meeting: “Winterley Lane is too narrow for a funeral cortège to negotiate safely, the hearse and stretched limos can be 20 ft long and seven ft wide.
“To get around the blind bend, these vehicles would have to take up both sides of the lane.
“And then there is the question of insufficient parking once all the on site parking is used. Where do the rest of the vehicles park? In Winterley Lane causing traffic chaos?
“This application should be rejected, there is cross party agreement by local councillors that this application is unwanted and based upon unsound reasoning.
“The site owners have little regard for local residents, the site is an eyesore – an environmental disaster.
“We accept there is nothing we can do to change the fact that the burial ground has permission to exist and can carry out 50 burials per year. But Rushall says no more.”
Labour ward councillor Richard Worrall also read out a statement jointly put together with Tory Rushall councillor Lorna Rattigan, opposing the plan.
A representative for the applicant’s agent Cemetery Development Services Ltd said there was a need for a burial ground in the location.
He added they had worked with highways officers and agreed the burials would be carried out in off peak times between 10am and 3pm. He also said there would be no negative impact on traffic or the environment.
Objections about decomposing body leakage into the nearby canal were dismissed after the environment agency raised no concerns about it.
