Hertsmere Borough Council looking to expand Allum Lane Cemetery

The council expects some burial areas of the cemetery will reach capacity in 2023 and is taking steps to find new space.

A next door site of nearly four acres has been identified as the most "viable" option to meet projected demand for the next fifty years.

On Wednesday, the council's Executive committee gave the green light for specialists to be appointed to buy that land on behalf of the council.

Allum Lane Cemetery, between Elstree and Borehamwood, is owned by the council and it is the principal cemetery in Hertsmere.

The entrance to Allum Lane Cemetery. Credit: Google Maps

In August last year, the council commissioned an independent report from Peter Mitchell Associates which identified a "clear and urgent need" to create new burial space on a new site to meet the burial needs of Hertsmere residents.

Council officers had highlighted the "diminishing" capacity to meet projected burial demand in Allum Lane cemetery.

The independent report concluded that a site south of the cemetery is the most "viable" option to expand. A council report suggests it could provide space for up to 2,500 graves.

The land in question is green belt and has been put forward in the local plan as a site for 69 homes and a cemetery.

However, the council says housing on this site is "not acceptable" under current policies - but development of a cemetery would be, although it would still require planning permission.

The marker is Allum Lane Cemetery in its current form. The red lines indicate the land the council is seeking to buy in order to expand the cemetery. Credit: Google Maps

The council has been told how much the land is valued at - this detail remains undisclosed to the public for now - and the Executive committee agreed to appoint external experts to negotiate a sale with the private landowners of this particular site.

If negotiations prove unsuccessful, the council will consider a compulsory purchase order of the site.

At the meeting on Wednesday, non executive member and Labour group leader, Cllr Jeremy Newmark, questioned whether there was a need to appoint experts outside of the council, suggesting there were people in-house capable of negotiating a sale.

The council's head of street scene, Ian Kershaw, said the appointment was not just about land acquisition but also about having the land revalued. The council's managing director Sajida Bijle backed the decision to appoint external experts, saying the council needed "specialist advice".

The experts will be funded through section 106 cemetery contributions, which is financial contributions that have been paid to the council.

The Executive Committee at Hertsmere Borough Council, offices in Borehamwood pictured, agreed to a series of recommendations at a meeting on Wednesday June 9

A development of the site into a cemetery is expected to cost around £200,000, on top of purchasing the site, with hopes the whole project could be completed within two years.

Council leader Morris Bright says the council has a "duty of care" for its residents, mentioning that many want to be buried locally.

The full report to the Executive committee can be read here.