Woodland Green Burial sites
Green Burial is now a familiar phrase, along with woodland and countryside cemeteries, yet 15 years ago the concept was relatively unknown. Much credit for this has to be given to the late Nicholas Albery who in his wide ranging social concerns established the Natural Death Centre, which is still based in London and through its current director Mark Jarvis is the core body for information on this now widely-accepted approach to interment.
Michael Thompson became involved when clients with farms outside Nottingham asked him to research the facts behind stories that municipal cemeteries were reaching capacity and with no land allocated for new cemeteries the prospect was for existing family graves to be “recycled”.
Having made extensive enquiries from Local Authorities he then visited a good many woodland burial grounds. Michael has also attended courses organised by CIBA. He took against the idea promoted by other operators of planting a tree on each grave, and has promoted the concept of creating a wild flower meadow with memorial trees planted in designated copses within the cemetery. Pathways are mown in the cemetery for easier walking, but otherwise the pastoral outlook is maintained. In keeping with this concept no memorial markers are permitted apart from an engraved slab set flat into the grass. Not only does this accord with the prescribed cemetery regulations for each burial ground, but is in line with the conditions of planning permissions.
Michael Thompson is now well known for assisting landowners in preparing applications for planning permission. His role has been in assisting landowners in the East Midlands and in East Anglia, in co-ordinating meetings with the local community, parish councils, and the local church council to promote an understanding of what it is “all about”.
One of the major areas of concern now is with increasing regulations from the Environment Agency to demonstrate that a particular site represents no hazard or potential hazard for the leaching of chemicals into public water supplies, nor into nearby water courses.
For property owners where there is a tradition of stewardship and handing the ownership of land from one generation to another, the notion of creating a green burial ground is in our experience has been an attractive alternative form of land use. Quite rightly it is not a venture to be started where there is no certainty of continuity of ownership. Once planning permission has been granted and the venture established, it has to be promoted with information leaflets which are distributed to undertakers, nursing homes, doctors’ surgeries and libraries in the region. For further general information, and detailed guidance about planning permission please do contact Michael Thompson.
Woodland Burial Sites where Richardson have obtained
planning
www.greenburial.co.uk
www.woodlandburialoxton.co.uk
www.countryside-burials.co.uk
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