£700,000 upgrades planned for council owned cemeteries

The work will now be put out to tender with the overall cost of the projects estimated at around £730,000 following a decisive council meeting and a public consultation.

The Hatfield Road cemetery is one site that will see major improvements. (Image: Google Maps) Enhancements will increase the choice of burial plots to cater for different cultural and religious customs.

Cllr Helen Campbell, the committee’s chair and lead for cemeteries, said: “We want to ensure that the cemetery service we offer the public is kept at a very high standard.

“The multiple improvements we are now planning to make to our three cemeteries will better meet the needs of our diverse communities."

The council’s three cemeteries are located at Hatfield Road and London Road, St Albans, and Westfield Road, Harpenden.  Among the proposed improvements set out in a report to the committee are:

Mausoleums – the installation of single chamber mausoleums in London Road at an estimated cost of £130,000. This would be a burial choice that is not currently catered for.

Gardens of Rest – an increasingly popular way for burial of ashes and will include memorial plaque walls. To be installed in London Road and Westfield Road at an estimated cost of £120,000.  

Meadow Burials – shown by the consultation to be another increasingly popular choice and an eco-friendly one. To be installed at Hatfield Road for an estimated cost of £80,000.

The London Road Cemetery. (Image: St Albans City and District Council) Burial chambers for the Muslim community and the updating of the cemetery service’s database are among other improvements.

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“These projects will provide different memorial types, more burial choices and enhance the presentation of the cemeteries," Cllr Campbell added.

“I am pleased that the committee has unanimously backed the proposals and that we can now start the process of delivering these important changes.”

The committee also agreed to introduce a standard 50-year lease for a grave plot with options to extend to 75 years or reduce to 25 years.

Westfield Road Cemetery, Harpenden. (Image: Google Maps) Other changes include the pre-purchase of graves, which will no longer be allowed with an exception made for the parent or guardian of a child who has died aged 21 or under.

The committee also agreed the cemetery service could begin talks with the Diocese of St Albans about the reuse of some burial sites in Hatfield Road and possible changes in legislation. Plans to broaden the use of the chapel may also be discussed.