May 7, 2013 4.40 pm This story is over 130 months old

New £1.2m Lincoln cemetery nears completion

4,000 burial plots: A new cemetery off Long Leys Road in Lincoln is almost complete and could be ready by the end of the year.
Long Leys Road area. Photo: CoLC

A new cemetery off Long Leys Road in Lincoln is almost complete and could be ready by the end of the year.

The cemetery cost the City of Lincoln Council £1.2 million to develop and should meet the burial needs of the city for the next 50 years.

At present, contractors have finished levelling off the land and turfing the site and are now doing some landscaping.

The site has enough room for 4,000 burial plots, but initially only half of the site will be developed, with the highest level left as a flower meadow; in future this could be used for green burials.

City of Lincoln Council Leader Ric Metcalfe, said: ““We took the decision almost ten years ago to make a significant investment so that we could meet the city’s needs for the future.

““It is important that people know they or their loved ones can be buried in the city if that is what they choose.””

There are currently five cemeteries under council management: Canwick Road, St Swithin’s (Washingborough Road), Newport near St Nicholas’ and Eastgate.

entrance

pathway

At present, there are spaces available in all the cemeteries, except Eastgate. However, advanced buying of plots is not offered until the new cemetery.

As 86% of people in Lincoln are cremated, there are cremation spots in Newport and St Swithin’s.

Bereavement Services Officer Nick Barton said: “A lot of people have family ties with the city so they can apply to be buried here.

“Some villages are growing quickly which is putting pressure on burial space, so that is bound to have an impact on us in the future.” ”

The new site will have a staff and toilet block near the main gate, plus a new footpath leading from the cemetery to Long Leys Road, and a pathway for the previous owners of the site to catch their horses.