Claverdon church seeks to expand burial ground

Claverdon’s St Michael and All Angels Church has applied for permission to expand its burial ground amid fears it will run out of space within 2-3 years.

A planning application from Claverdon Parochial Church Council details a proposal to extend the burial ground into part of Glebe Field, an area of land separated from the existing churchyard by a Victorian ha-ha.

The application states: “Without additional space, the churchyard would have to be closed to new burials and responsibility for maintenance could be handed over to the local authority. An alternative option would be to re-use space within the existing churchyard. However there have been burials around the church for several hundred years and it is estimated that there could be several thousand graves within the site.

“This would be likely to be highly complex, expensive and controversial.”

It adds that the extension of the burial ground into Glebe Field would meet the needs of the village for many years to come.

A decision on the application is expected to be made next month.