'Sensitive' plans to build cemeteries on green belt

Sheffield City Council is pressing ahead with plans to build two new cemeteries on green belt land despite objections from residents.

The council's Local Plan, which is a blueprint for how the city will develop, includes plans to build 3,500 new homes, cemeteries and secondary schools on 14 green belt sites.

Hundreds of residents in the S12 and S35 postcodes have objected as the majority of the development will be in those two areas.

Sheffield councillors have yet to formally approval the Local Plan but feasibility studies are being carried out for the cemeteries. Officers said they recognise any activity "may be sensitive" and they will communicate with residents.

The council said Sheffield will run out of new grave space within the next few years. It has identified two new burial sites at Common Lane in S11 and Jordanthorpe Parkway in S8, with potentially another site in the S5/S9 postcode.

One of the priorities is to do feasibility work at land off Beaver Hill Road in S13, which is a green belt site named in the Local Plan.

A report stated: "This reflects the position in the south-east of the city, where burial capacity is particularly low and all existing cemeteries are at or nearing capacity. There is a clear need to bring forward a new cemetery in this area to maintain provision.

"The site is currently being considered through the Local Plan process however, given the level of need in this part of the city, it may be necessary to progress feasibility work to ensure the council is able to respond in a timely way to the identified shortfall in burial provision.

"Although cemetery development is an acceptable use within the green belt, it is recognised that any activity on this site may be sensitive while Local Plan allocations remain under consideration.

"Any feasibility work will be progressed carefully, with clear and open communication with local residents about what is being undertaken and why, as the work moves forward."

The S35 site at Wheel Lane – also in the Local Plan - will be the next priority following Beaver Hill.

Sheffield City Council currently manages 16 cemeteries across the city, most of which were established in the 19th and 20th centuries. The council last opened a new burial ground in the 1920s.

The report added: "Current forecasts indicate that overall burial capacity is expected to be exhausted between spring 2031 and winter 2033, with several cemeteries already closed to new burials and others approaching capacity.

"The position is more acute for Muslim burial provision, where demand for new graves is high and available space is more limited. Existing provision is likely to be exhausted between winter 2027 and the summer of 2028 if no further action is taken."

Additional burial space is being created at Tinsley Park cemetery and the council is also looking at whether it can create more plots at City Road, Shiregreen and Stocksbridge cemeteries.

Councillors will discuss the plans at a meeting on 16 July.

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