Sutton's Bandon Hill Cemetery Joint Committee is considering a £54,014 landscaping project for the superintendent's lodge at its next meeting, as part of a larger plan to improve the property and potentially lease it out.

The proposed landscaping is part of a larger £70,000 plan to improve the exterior of The Lodge, located within the cemetery grounds. The building is no longer required to house a cemetery superintendent or for other cemetery business. According to the Report of the Surveyor, the project aims to separate The Lodge visually and physically from the rest of the cemetery to facilitate future alternative uses.

The proposed works include:

  • Removing ivy from the building at a cost of £1,431.
  • Repairing and repainting the brick and woodwork at a cost of £12,987.
  • Installing a new boundary fence, creating a new path and pedestrian entrance, and landscaping the garden at a cost of £54,014.

The surveyor's report states that removing the ivy and repairing and repainting the building are essential to maintaining the building's condition. The report seeks approval from the Committee for funding to carry out external property improvements to The Lodge and install a new boundary fence.

However, the finance comment in the Report of the Treasurer suggests a more cautious approach. It notes that a budget of £15,000 would cover the essential works. The treasurer suggests the committee should carefully consider whether the landscaping works are a correct use of funds, weighing the benefits of separating the house from the cemetery grounds and making a lease as an independent property possible against the £55,000 investment needed to deliver it.

The Bandon Hill Cemetery Joint Committee met on 10 November 2025, under the leadership of Councillor Scott Roche (according to the Agenda frontsheet), to discuss the surveyor's report, as well as the treasurer's report, the 2025/26 financial forecast, a revised treasury strategy, the 2026/27 budget, and the risk register. The committee was scheduled to consider a request for £70,000 to carry out external property improvements to The Lodge and install a new boundary fence.

A surplus outturn of £26,641 is being forecast as at Period 6. The budgeted expectation was a £5,300 surplus so this forecast represents a £21,341 underspend to the budget. One of the purposes of these reserves is to fund investment in the Cemetery grounds that goes beyond annual maintenance and repair budgets.