Bramley Burial Ground – St James Church, Bramley

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Parent Category: Legislation & Policies

Category: Burial Gardens

Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 October 2018 16:52

Published on Tuesday, 16 October 2018 14:11

Written by Parish Clerk

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You may be aware that in recent years there has been an ongoing issue with surface water in the winter months at Bramley Burial Ground at St James Church.  This became particularly acute in the winter of 2017/18, despite the Parish Council taking steps to ensure that drainage channels from the Ground were kept clear. 

With this in mind, the Parish Council has this spring and summer undertaken a professional survey of ground water levels at the Burial Ground.  The survey has identified that the water table levels under the Burial Ground are very high, and in the remaining space for burial, the levels are higher than Environment Agency regulations recommend.  This has led to some very serious discussion by the Parish Council; whilst it recognises its duty to consider providing burial space in the Parish, it also has a duty to uphold public health and safety regulations. 

Therefore, Bramley Parish Council have very reluctantly and regretfully taken the decision to temporarily close the ground for full burials until a more complete investigation has been carried out.  This may lead to a permanent closure of the ground for full burials.  Where a double depth plot has been purchased and the second burial is required, the Parish Council will consider on case by case basis.  It should be noted that there are no plans to move any existing burials or memorials – this will only affect any requests for new burials.  The decision will be reviewed in the spring of 2019.  

Cremation plots will still be available for the foreseeable future, and there will be no issues with new memorials. 

Moving forward, there are currently no plans to consider other sites for a new Burial Ground.  The Parish Council undertook a project 4 years ago to identify a new area; however, there are no suitable sites available in the Parish at this time.  This is constantly under review. 

The Parish Council appreciate that this solution is not ideal; however, it is under a legal obligation to ensure the health and safety of the Burial Ground, and those visiting it.  For further information, please contact the Parish Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.