Further meeting over woodland graveyard

Further meeting over woodland graveyard

22 March 2017

A THIRD community consultation will be held on Saturday over contentious plans to create Northern Ireland’s first woodland burial graveyard at Lough Money.

The meeting will be hosted by the co-operative organisation, Down to Earth, which intends to seek planning approval for the green graveyard within the next year.

There was a largely hostile reaction to the plans during the first two public sessions with concerns raised that the project, described by one person as “neo-pagan”, might have an adverse impact on local infrastructure and on the water quality of the adjacent lake.

Residents complained they had not been adequately consulted and said they were confused about the proposed location in Saul where they said there would not be a demand for such a facility.

Mr James Orr, who addressed the last two meetings on behalf of Down to Earth, said the sessions were being held to explain the concept behind the community-led graveyard in which trees and wildflowers would replace traditional headstones to create a memorial nature reserve.

He explained that cardboard and wicker would be used instead of wooden coffins in the proposed green graveyard where plots would be identified through GPS technology.

Mr Orr emphasised that the consultation meetings were part of a pre-planning phase where issues associated with the eventual planning application could be raised.

He said members of the design team would be available alongside representatives of Down to Earth to answer questions on Saturday from 12.30pm to 4pm.

He said they were keen to meet as many people as possible in the community to explain the project and invite comments and added that they were distributing 5,000 leaflets across the area and would host meetings in the next few weeks with interested groups and individuals.

“Members of the public are also encouraged to submit comments on the proposal,” he said.

“It should be noted that any comments received by Down to Earth are at a pre-planning stage and the public will be given the operations to submit representation to the council when a planning application is lodged.”

South Down Assemblyman Colin McGrath confirmed that concern had been raised locally about the non-Christian aspect of the proposed graveyard, particularly considering the woodland burial site is in an area associated with St Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland.

He said he hoped these concerns could be addressed to the satisfaction of local people.

“Local people have articulated those concerns to me and it is important the company behind the graveyard works with people to allay those fears,” he said.

“It is in everyone’s best interests that such concerns are addressed and allayed.”