Field wanted for town cemetery
SPACE is running out at Gillingham cemetery and more land is needed urgently, claim town councillors.
Now former mayor David Milsted is appealing to land owners to consider selling a field to create more burial land for the town.
Councillor Milsted, a member of a working party set up to find a solution, said: "Within a maximum of five years we will run out of space at the cemetery.
"We have been looking for a new site for years but it is now getting urgent.
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"It is difficult to find a suitable site - certainly there is nothing in the town centre so we are hoping that someone with land on the edge of town will be prepared to sell it.
"We have to avoid the flood plain and the cost of levelling a sloping site would be prohibitive.
"It may be that someone would be happy to sell a minimum of two acres.
"Gillingham is not alone in running short of burial space but this town has grown faster than many.
"I think landowners like to hold on to their fields in the hope they will fetch a lot of money for housing but the new plan shows where development is to go and where it won't.
"It would be a good thing to do for the town to sell some land for a cemetery.
"We would maintain it well - we've done a good job with the existing one."
The working party's report to the council's General Purposes Committee urged actions including looking into obtaining a Public Works loan and contacting land owners.
The council has more than £29,000 earmarked for land for burials and for allotments.
Mr Milsted said: "It may be that a new cemetery would have to be some way out of town - that's happened elsewhere.
"If anyone has a field that we could buy then please contact the town council on 01747 823588 - it's getting urgent."
Dee Adcock
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