Richmond Council is set to review its policies regarding cemetery usage and allotment closures, following discussions at a recent council meeting.
The review comes amid increasing pressure on burial space within the borough, leading to difficult decisions about land use. The decision to return the Shacklegate Lane land to burial use was initially made in 2018 and reaffirmed in 2024 due to this increasing need. While specific data or projections demonstrating this need were not provided in the meeting documents, the council has emphasized the urgency of the situation.
A key focus of the review will be the proposed closure of allotments on Shacklegate Lane in Teddington, a move that has sparked concern among allotment holders and the wider community.
During the meeting, Ms Taylor raised concerns about the decision to close the entire Shacklegate Lane site at once, referencing a previous agreement to convert the section nearest the cemetery first, leaving the other half as an allotment site for as long as possible. Councillor Needham-Watts responded that the decision to proceed with a full closure was due to cost-effectiveness and to enable the site to be returned to community growing in the most prompt way possible, with raised planters.
Mr Dix also raised concerns about the decision to return land to burial use, which Councillor Neaton-Watts stated was made in 2018 and reaffirmed in 2024 due to the borough's increasingly urgent need for burial space. The council has engaged with plot holders and the charities who have been working at the site and will continue to do so, as well as with the local community, on the future use of the site. Specific methods of engagement were not detailed in the meeting information.
Councillor Needham-Watts also addressed the importance of allotments, referencing the allotment strategy 2019-29 and the local plan. The June 2018 Cabinet decision confirmed the acute pressure on burial space and the need to progress reclamation of the sites, and the 2024 Committee Update Paper reiterated this position of burial need and that long-term solution was needed for burial provision.
The council is proposing to do a policy review following the outcome of the Law Commission consultation on burial practices, expected sometime in 2026, according to Councillor Needham Watt. The specific findings and recommendations of the Law Commission are not yet known, as the consultation is ongoing. She encouraged continued engagement as a ward councillor and with the community.
Councillor Cardy raised the possibility of converting underused roads in cemeteries to paths to create more burial space, but this was deemed not the most appropriate option.