Woodland burial plan given hostile reception

Woodland burial plan given hostile reception

1 March 2017

PLANS for Northern Ireland’s first woodland burial site on the outskirts of Downpatrick have been challenged at an acrimonious public meeting.

Opposition is mounting to a proposal to develop the green graveyard at Lough Money near Saul.

There were angry outbursts from members of the public at a consultation meeting in Saul about the scheme in which native trees and wildflowers would replace traditional granite headstones and cardboard and wicker used instead of wooden coffins.

Saturday’s meeting was the latest in a series hosted by the co-operative organisation Down to Earth to gauge public reaction to the project before a planning application is made.

There was fierce resistance to the plans from some speakers with warnings that the proposal, described as “neo-pagan” and “all about money”, was unwelcome in the community.

Interrupting Down to Earth spokesman, James Orr, as he presented plans to the audience, opponents argued the graveyard was not locally needed and expressed their discontent about the level of community consultation.

They said they feared the local roads would not cope with associated traffic, while expressing concern that the nearby lake might be polluted by the development.

Local resident Aurla McLaughlin warned there was community frustration about the project.

“We aren’t here to talk about trees and flowers. We have questions that we want answered. We want to hear about graves,” she said.

“There is skepticism about the lack of data available and the information we have is irrelevant.”

Insisting Mr Orr cut short his presentation, another local resident argued that the community was disinterested in the project details.

“We do not want to know about it. We just want to know how it will affect us. This is our parish and community,” he said.

Another member of the audience suggested few would want to be buried in the graveyard if they realised the negative local reaction.

Colm Surginor, who lives near the proposed development site, suggested a measured approach.

“This is going to be a long process. This is the initial stage and when we are fully informed we can raise any points after that,” he said.

His neighbour Sean Moore said that while many were open to the idea of a green graveyard, he did not believe the proposal was for “the right place”.

Clare Higgins said that while she liked the concept, she was concerned about the potential impact on transport infrastructure.

“We appreciate the fact that we live in a beautiful area, but people want detail,” she said.

“My concern is that there may be an immediate destruction of the area before we get the beautiful meadows.”

Urging the audience to listen to the presentation, local councillor Cadogan Enright said he supported the idea.

“There is no need to be hostile, I think this is something that needs to be listened to,” he said.

“We do not have enough land to bury people.”

Lenore Rea agreed the audience should be more understanding of people with other points of view.

“This is something for the whole area,” she said. “This is is not the parish of Saul getting a graveyard, it is a new thing for Northern Ireland.

“Northern Ireland needs trees and I think this is a lovely idea.”

Despite hearing the concerns raised on Saturday, consultant ecologist Mr Karl Partridge, speaking after the meeting, said he still wished to be “one of the first buried” in the woodland graveyard.

“I am an ecologist and want to go back to the earth in the spirt in which I lived, respecting the earth and leaving as small a footprint as possible,” he said.

“I have been looking for a green burial site for years and we do not have one yet.

“I have lived my whole life sustainably but the environmental impact of human beings on earth is staggering.

“As an individual, I would like to make my contribution to minimising the impact of my burial. I live by my principles and want to die by my principles.”

Down To Earth will host its third community consultation meeting at Paddy’s Barn in Saul on Saturday, March 25, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.