A new woodland cemetery burial ground could be created on the outskirts of Alston — if planners give the go-ahead.
Also called “green burials”, the practice can involve the use of biodegradable coffins or even shrouds of wool, cotton or jute to reduce harm to the environment when burials are carried out.
The proposed cemetery site is a field between Bridge End Farm and Crosslands, adjacent to the Leadgate road, and on the town’s outskirts.
The application has been lodged with Westmorland and Furness Council.
Applicants Carl and Karen Williams, of Bridge End Farm, run Memotrees, which allows people to plant trees in memory of a loved one. It offers memorial woodlands and a meadow burial ground at River View Copse, overlooking the South Tyne river. The new application would involve a change of use of the existing land.
The applicants said no buildings would be introduced onto the site and visitors would use the existing access.
A car parking area is already available at the farmhouse, while 10 disabled access spaces will be created too, once the road to the site has been adapted to meet highway standards. Visitors will use a grass footpath to walk from the farmyard/parking area up to the proposed site.
The applicants said: “There will be no raised headstones allowed.
“Instead, graves will be marked with an engraved Lakeland slate plaque laid flat to the ground so there will be no visual impact on the landscape.
“On top of the graves, and throughout the site, we intend to plant a mixture of native trees, including sessile oak, downy birch, alder, rowan, Scots pine, wild cherry, hawthorn and willow, of various sizes and along the boundary of the site.”
An eco-burial is required to be three-and-half feet below ground to allow the body to decompose naturally, and bodies are not embalmed, which, along with the use of natural materials for the coffin, limits the pollutants going into the soil.
