£3m Cardiff cemetery plans to deal with grave shortage

A new cemetery must be built in Cardiff before the city runs out of burial spaces, the council has said.

About 1,350 people are buried by the council's bereavement services every year.

But the authority predicts an aging and growing population means its busiest cemetery, Thornhill, will run out of room by June 2020.

The council wants to build a new graveyard close to the M4 at the cost of £3m.

A report to be considered by the authority said with about 40,000 new homes planned to be built in coming years, the city would run out of space to bury its dead unless action is taken.

"Taking these pressures into consideration it seems essential that the council identify and construct a new substantial sized cemetery to cater for the future needs of its residents," the report read.

It said a new site, of 12.5 acres (5 hectares), must be built to deal with the demand and, potentially create space for 9,500 new graves estimated to be needed over the next 40-45 years.

The undeveloped site, which is already owned by the council, would be close to the current Thornhill Cemetery, which deals with about 700 burials a year, of which 200 are new graves.

"Having operated since 1953 the site has now approximately two years remaining based on current usage before it is full for new burials," the report added.

"It is, therefore, essential the council identify and develop new areas for burial to meet the needs of the city."

On Tuesday, the council's environmental scrutiny committee will consider the potential site, which is currently leased as farmland, and would need planning permission to go ahead.