A PLAN to provide 50 years' worth of burial sites for Croydon by extending a cemetery over the border in Surrey has been rejected.
Croydon Council hoped to use Greenlawn Memorial Park – land it owns despite being situated outside the borough in Warlingham – to provide an extra 3,200 individual plots, together with 216 plots for Muslim burials.
But Tandridge Council refused permission for expansion of the 22-acre site and, now, an appeal against this decision has been rejected.
Arguments at the appeal centred on an extended use of green-belt land.
In his letter, independent inspector David Smith said the provision of extra plots would, "at a stroke", deal with the assessed need for burial space and supply places for the next 50 years.
He admitted that argument carries significant weight but ruled that requirements for new space "do not clearly outweigh the harm to the green belt and to the character of the area that would occur."
Mr Smith suggested the council should look again at the possible expansion of two other sites, rejected by Croydon in the past, at Mitcham Road cemetery, in Croydon, and Bandon Hill cemetery, in Wallington.
He adds that another look could also be taken at land in Fox Lane, Coulsdon.
Despite the setback, Councillor Timothy Godfrey, Croydon's cabinet member with responsibility for cemeteries, said the decision would not result in an immediate burial crisis in Croydon.
Cllr Godfrey said in the light of the decision he would be meeting with council officers to examine the possible use of the other three sites.
He said: "I think the inspector has given us a tick-list of what we should do but I don't think he has completely ruled out an extension of Greenlawn in the future.
"There is also an opportunity to look again at other land in Croydon but no sites spring to mind.
"The problem is everybody wants to be buried or looked after somewhere but nobody wants a cemetery near them."
Despite Mr Smith's stance, Cllr Godfrey added: "In the long term the impact on the green belt of the expansion would be zero, although there would be some disturbance in the short term."
