Following the formal closure of the churchyard at St Mary's church in Haddenham, the parish council has published the following statement.
Parish Council to provide new burial space in the village
With the closure of St Mary's churchyard, the Parish Council is to provide new burial space in the village. Consisting of 1.02 Ha on the Glebe site – as specified in the Haddenham Neighbourhood Plan – the Diocese and other landowners have been working together to sell the land on to a developer since its planning application was approved in June 2016.
After we are introduced to the developer, discussions can be held on the detailed plans to deliver the burial ground, the sports facility and the country park, all of which will be handed over to us.
We have budgeted over five years, beginning last year, to fund the Neighbourhood Plan project to provide the burial ground. We will shortly establish a new Burial Ground Working Group to manage this project, which will include representatives of the Parish Council, the Church and neighbouring residents.
Concerns about the likely closure of St. Mary's churchyard were raised several years ago and we were approached about providing new burial space in the village. At the time we did not own any suitable land and the associated costs were considered beyond reach.
However, the recent growth of Haddenham has given the land opportunity for providing a new burial ground, and we are busy researching the feasibility of taking on the role of being a burial authority. Visits are being made to other parishes which have done this.
