Council U-turn over grave maintenance at Cross cemetery
Editorial Department • Published 19 Jan 2012 13:00
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Matthew Elliott holds a picture of his late brother Marc as parents Damien and Adel stand by his graveside at Cross Cemetery.
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FERMANAGH District Council has performed a U-turn by announcing they are to amend some of their policies and procedures at Cross Cemetery in Enniskillen following a public consultation.
Previously, families who purchased a Right of Burial prior to September 2008 were allowed to have an edging, but not a surround. This option will now be available for all plots.
The Council say that if a family now opts to maintain the plot themselves, they will install a thin metal edging sunken to ground level around the plot. Families who choose this option will be required to maintain the plot in accordance with the guidance notes that the Council will now produce and in the event that the plot is not maintained to the required standard, the Council will lay amenity turf and maintain the plot thereafter.
This is just one of three recommendations made following the consultation. Altogether, 183 consultation packs were sent to existing owners of a Right of Burial in Cross Cemetery of which 45 completed questionnaires were return. In addition, 81 consultation questionnaires were completed and returned by members of the public.
Other changes to the rules state that a marble slab will be provided on Council maintained plots, on request, for the purpose of putting flowers/wreaths and mementos down. All marble slabs will be required to be sited at the base of the headstone or at the head of the plot if no headstone exists. In a double plot, when the second grave has been opened, an additional marble slab will be provided if required.
And if a family opts to maintain the plot themselves there will be no limit to the number of flowers/wreaths or mementos on the plot provided as long as they do not exceed 500 millimetres in height. The Council say if a family opts for them to maintain the plot, amenity turf will be laid after 90 days from interment and the number of flowers/wreaths or mementos will be restricted to two if no marble slab is requested.
In relation to surrounds, the Council has not changed the policy and no surrounds will be permitted in Cross Cemetery.
The review followed a recommendation by Fermanagh District Council's Environmental Services Committee on July 19 2011. Two consultation meetings were held; one with a focus group comprising of undertakers and clergy, and one with employees responsible for the maintenance of Cross Cemetery. A representative group of councillors considered the consultation responses and the range of issues raised. The sub group reviewed the Policy and Procedures for the Operation and Management of Cross Cemetery taking account of the issues raised and made recommendations to the Council's Environmental Services Committee; these were approved at the Council meeting on January 9 2012.
The revised Policy and Procedures will be effective from February 1 2012 and will be applied retrospectively to all burial plots within the cemetery.
Marc's family speak of relief that battle for rule change is over
THE family of six-year-old Marc Elliott who is buried at Cross Cemetery have welcomed the changes to the policies at Cross Cemetery.Damien and Adel Elliott who lost their son Marc to the deadly disease Adrenoleukodystrophy in 2010 and fought quite publicly for the rules to be amended say they feel "relieved" now the changes have been made.
"It has taken 17 months to get this far. This has been in our head since Marc passed away. We so glad that we are now able to maintain his grave the way we want to. It feels like we have got equality, not in religious terms, but in that we are able to do the same as the first four rows have been doing. We didn't want to fight anyone, but we felt we had no choice," said Damien.
Adel added: "We knew what we wanted to do for Marc from the beginning, but when we tried to go about doing what we wanted we were told we couldn't. My main concern was the thought of people walking over the grave, or a man driving a lawn mower over him and only for the public we wouldn't be able to do what we want so we want to thank everyone who filled out the consultation documents," she said.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 19 Jan 12
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