THE ENVIRONMENT Agency has objected to plans for a huge cemetery on land near Callington.
The proposal to create a Muslim burial ground with space for almost 9,000 graves has been put forward by the Gardens of Mercy charity, which owns the fields near Maders on the South Hill Road.
The Environment Agency (EA) says that up until now, insufficient information has been provided to allow it to judge whether the natural burial of human remains would pose the risk of groundwater pollution. Until the results of further assessment are provided, the EA says it will maintain its objection.
South Hill Parish Council has lodged objection on behalf of its residents. As well as the potential risk to groundwater supplies, the council also cites an increase in traffic along a narrow, unlit road, with access to the nearest public transport more than a kilometre away.
The council names the loss of farmland, the size of the site, and the lack of demonstrated need for the cemetery locally as further reasons to turn the project down.The proposal has attracted much media and public attention: at the time of writing there were almost 300 comments on Cornwall’s planning portal, with members of the public leaving 125 comments in objection and 155 in support.
Chairman of South Hill Parish Council Andrew Budd said that almost 90 people had attended a recent public meeting. The aim had been to allow people to be free to express their views, and in the event “there was nobody supporting the project”.
The charity explains how the Islamic burial rite is central to the Muslim faith, and that the absence of a Muslim cemetery in the South West adds to the distress faced by families at an already stressful time.
Part of the cemetery will be given over to natural burials for people of all faiths, and the charity says it wants the project to be an opportunity for fostering understanding and cohesion.
Chairman of the charity Dr Salim Mahadik says there are no plans to establish a mosque at the site and that the level of traffic would not be adversely impacted, as there would be around ten burials each year, with few people attending the ceremonies themselves.
Supporters of the project describe the distress and financial burden of travelling hundreds of miles for a loved one’s funeral, and the need to provide a final resting place closer to families.
Addressing the visual impact of the development, Dr Mahadik says: “The one acre field adjacent to South Hill Road will not be used for burials. Our plans also include leasing out a large part of the unused land for grazing or other agricultural use.”The development would include features to mitigate climate change as required by planning policy.
According to the most recent census in 2021, there were some 8,500 people living in Devon and Cornwall who identify as Muslim, and the community is growing in the South West. To see the plans visit Cornwall’s online planning portal and use reference PA24/06942.
