Nelson cemetery tipped for approval
Pendle Council has earmarked a 15-acre plot under its ownership for use as a graveyard to cope with rising demand for burial plots.
Plans to use the land at Edge End Lane as a cemetery were lodged with the local council in March and have generated 57 objections at the time of writing.
Road safety was one of the recurring concerns among respondents. However, the council’s planning team has recommended the scheme for approval at the Nelson area committee meeting on Monday.
The council’s motivation for delivering a cemetery is that the existing Nelson cemetery off Walton Lane, the closest of six gravesites in the local area, is reaching full capacity. The burial ground has been operational since 1895.
As the new cemetery would also serve the local Muslim community, all plots will be laid out to comply with religious traditions. The existing cemetery in Nelson is the only one in the area with provision for Muslim burials.
The development would occur in two phases, phase one includes the creation of a car park, hard and soft landscaping, and the first burial plots.
Phase two would further extend the cemetery with accompanying hard and soft landscaping. Green space at the site would be made accessible for informal recreation according to planning documents.
Access to the cemetery would be from Halifax Road.
According to The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, within the next 5 to 10 years, 30% of UK local authorities will have run out of burial space.
Based on local mortality rates, an average of 150 Muslim burials a year could take place at the proposed cemetery.
The project team includes Alpha Consultants, Collington Winter, Wessex Archaeology, Bourne Heritage, landscaper CDS, and JPP.
To view the application, use the planning reference 25/0149/FUL on Pendle Council’s planning portal.
Surely this land should be for the living, the council could make money from selling to a developer for housing, together with the 106 payments it would help support vital services and affordable homes to locals. Part of the site could also be a park for people to enjoy. With cremation there’s no need to give over valuable land to the dead.
By GetItBuilt!
Not everyone wants to be cremated @GetItBuilt, what a depressing suggestion that burial grounds and the delivery of enough homes are mutually exclusive.
By yimby
I’m dead against this proposal
By G Reaper
@yimby in this instance the council has chosen to use taxpayers owned land for burials, while there’s a housing shortage and a council budget deficit. This location is surrounded by houses and is ideal for new housing and public space, especially with its proximity to schools, shops and Briarfield station. I’m sure local young people would prefer more affordable housing instead of burial plots.
By GetItBuilt!
@ August 04, 2025 at 11:46 am
By GetItBuilt!
I believe some things don’t have a price on them. It’s not a binary choice of houses vs cemeteries. Some people, for religious reasons, cannot be cremated.
By Anonymous