LONG MELFORD PARISH COUNCIL
BURIAL GROUND AND OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE
NOTICE OF MEETING
You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of the Burial Ground and Open Spaces
Committee of the Long Melford Parish Council to be held on Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 at
6.30 pm in the Library, Hall Street for the purpose of transacting the following business:
Gifford Lewis
Clerk to the Parish Council
26 th June 2013
AGENDA
1. Election of Committee Chairman
2. Apologies for absence
3. Declarations of Interest or Hospitality
For Members to declare any pecuniary or personal interests in matters on the agenda.
4. To Approve the Minutes of the Meeting Held 1 st November 2011 (attached)
To approve the minutes of the Burial Ground Committee meeting held on 1 st
November 2011.
5. To Adjourn the Meeting for a Public Forum Related to Matters on the
Agenda
To propose that Standing Orders be suspended in order that members of the public may ask questions regarding matters on the agenda.
6. To Reconvene the Meeting following the Public Forum
To propose that Standing Orders be enforced at the conclusion of the public forum.
7. To Consider the Regulations in respect of the Council’s Cemetery and
Lawn Cemetery (attached)
To review and recommend for approval by the Parish Council revised
Regulations in respect of the Cemetery – draft regulations attached.
8. To Consider the Replacement of a Mower
To consider the option for either the repair or replacement of one of the mowers.
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9. To Review the Future Need for Interment Provision
To review the future requirements and land for interment above that currently provided within the Cemetery.
10. To Consider the Funding of Renovation Works to the War Memorial
To review the current position with funding and a further application to the War
Memorial Trust – rejection letter attached.
11. To Consider Access along Church Walk and onto The Green
To consider the unrecovered loss and liabilities of continuing access by coaches along Church Walk and onto The Green.
12. To Note the Support Offered by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust
To note the advice in managing wildlife in the churchyard as offered by the
Suffolk Wildlife Trust and to consider its extension to other locations with a visit at 1.30 pm on 23 rd July 2013.
13. To Consider Repairs and/or Replacement’s to the Equipment and Surface at the Cordell Road Play Area (attached)
To consider the urgent need, on safety grounds, for repairs to the play equipment and surface within the context of the future facilities at this facility.
14. To Consider Uses of Paths in the Long Melford Country Park and Valley
Walk
To review the issues arising from a parishioner’s letter and response from the
Rights of Way, Suffolk County Council.
15. To Consider a Donation to the Long Melford Scout and Guide Group for the Two Litter Picks
To contribute £200 in part cost towards the two recent litter picks undertaken by the Long Melford Scout and Guide Group.
16. To Consider the Locations of Extra Seats in the Village
To review the possible locations for extra seats in the village.
17. To Consider Locations for the Planting of Spring Bulbs
To advise the Council Chairman on possible locations for the sponsored planning of spring bulbs.
18. Closure
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Minutes of Burial Ground Committee Meeting, Tuesday 1 st November 2011, 5.30pm @
Parish Council Office
Present: Cllr’s T Coll (chairman), J Nunn, D Walters, R Michette, C Michette, Rev I Friars,
Alan Sawyer & Clerk L Goodban
BG/01/11/11 Apologies: J Watts
BG/02/11/11 Declarations of interest: There were no declarations received
BG/03/11/11 Progress updates: The following items from previous minutes were discussed;
 Sign for front of Cemetery giving contact details; quotes are being obtained from
Wayne Tanswell. Cllr Nunn will obtain second quotes. Details of wording for sign were approved
 Clearing of Shed; Alan has cleared much of the items from around the outside but has been unable to do any inside due to work demands. It was noted that this will be done when possible within the winter schedule.
 Top Soil: Because we have had a particularly dry late summer/early autumn it has been too dry to cover with top soil and re-seed as previously discussed. This will now be done during the winter months. The Chairman asked for more detailed plan of action showing when this work and the shed could be done.
 Light: A further request has been submitted to Pearce & Kemp asking that the light be connected to power supply or a report given to say why this is not possible if it cannot be done. The clerk has suggested a site meeting with P & K to discuss this further if necessary.
 Glebe Land: planning application has been submitted to BDC and we are currently awaiting their decision.
BG/04/11/11 War Memorial: The clerk confirmed that War Memorials Trust have declined our application stating that too much work is being proposed. It was resolved that a further quote including statement of condition and method statement be obtained. A leaflet will also be prepared for inclusion with service sheets at the Remembrance day service advising public that we are very aware of the poor condition of the War Memorial and that we are looking to have this repaired as soon as funds can be secured. The leaflet will contain information for anyone wishing to contribute via Public Subscription or should they wish to gift aid any donation to support this project. Press report will also be issued to the Suffolk Free Press and
East Anglian Daily Times.
BG/05/11/11 Cemetery Fees; Members resolved to increase cemetery fees by £5 for children and £10 for all other fees.
BG/06/11/11 Date of Next Meeting: Date for next meeting was set for 6 th March 2012,
5.30pm at Parish Council Office
There being no further business the meeting closed at 18.15
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7 - Cemetery Regulations
The adopted Regulations by the Burial Ground Committee on 2 nd February 2010 and subsequently by Council on 16 th February 2010 are:-
REGULATIONS FOR LONG MELFORD CEMETERY
Sections A, B, C & I
 These areas are now largely full and only interments in reserved plots, or reopenings will take place. Headstones, kerbs and tablets are permitted in this area.
 Because of the large number of kerb stones in these areas, maintenance is largely carried out by use of a strimmer and therefore the grass may not be as short in appearance as in other areas of the cemetery.
Section D
 This area is a lawn cemetery and it is intended to be maintained as a grassed area with fixed memorials at the head of burial plots. Application for memorials must be submitted to the Parish Council for approval prior to erection.
 Flower pots may be placed within/next to the headstone base. Ornaments or other items must be placed on the base of the headstone. For the sake of clarity there must be no gardens of a permanent nature i.e. there should be nothing fixed or planted in the ground. Windmills, solar lights and any other objects will NOT be permitted in order that this area can be maintained as Lawn Cemetery. Graves found to be untidy will have pots removed by the Parish Council and stored for collection by the owners (max 3 months storage).
 For insurance and safety reasons members of the public are not allowed to use any
‘powered’ machinery (strimmers/mowers etc) in the burial ground.
 No Mounds will be allowed. All graves will be turfed within the first year following burial. Times may vary according to weather conditions.
 Fencing or stones around burial or cremation plots will NOT be permitted. Any such fencing will be removed by the Council and stored for collection by the owner.
Cremation Plots
 Cremation plot 1 is now full. Memorials permitted are flat or wedge type.
Memorials in plot 2 should be flat tablets although some variances have been permitted. Gravel surrounding tablets / memorials is NOT permitted. This is in the interest of safety as regards to strimming and not for presentation purposes.
 Cremation plot 3 will be as the main section ‘D’ and set as a lawn cemetery.
Memorials will be small upright headstones. Maximum height 2ft.
General
 Persons wishing to place photographs, pictures or stencils on headstones must first receive written permission from the Parish Council.
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 Wooden crosses put in place at the time of burial should be removed if/when a stone memorial is put in place. If no memorial is put in place the wooden cross should be removed if in poor condition.
 The Parish Council will keep all rules under constant review, and can change them at anytime.
The Council reserves the right to close the Cemetery or to limit the entry of
persons thereto at any time without notice.
1.
No burial shall take place, no cremated human remains shall be scattered, no tombstone or other memorial shall be placed in the Cemetery and no additional inscription shall be made on a tombstone or other memorial without the permission of the burial authority.
2.
All notices must be given at the Council Office on forms provided by the Council, on which shall be stated:
 The age of the deceased,
 Normal residence of the deceased during the three months prior to death,
 The date, cause and place of death,
 The length, width and depth of the coffin
 Whether private or public funeral,
 The day and hour of the funeral,
 Particulars of the minister who is to officiate, and
 The name and address of the funeral director
 Name and address of next of kin
3.
The Council will not be responsible for any delays which may occur or misunderstandings which may arise with regard to orders or instructions given by telephone, unless immediately confirmed in writing in the manner provided by these Regulations.
4.
The day and time of funeral must be agreed with the burial authority a minimum of
3 working days before the service takes place.
5.
The time fixed for a funeral is that at which the procession is due at the Cemetery and such times must be strictly observed. In the event of a funeral arriving late, the funeral must wait as and where directed by the Supervisor until it is convenient for it to proceed. When a Notice of Interment has been given, any alteration of arrangements will only be permitted at the discretion of the Council in respect of any work, which may have already been executed, and any other expenses, which may have been incurred.
6.
Only one funeral will be allowed in the Cemetery at any one time except with the consent of the parties concerned.
7.
Persons in-charge of a military or other large funeral must make prior arrangements with the Parish Council.
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8.
The selection of any niche or grave space shall be subject to the approval of the
Council and consistent with their general plan. The position of public graves will be determined by the Parish Council.
9.
Nobody shall be buried in a grave in such a manner that any part of the coffin is less than three feet below the level of any ground adjoining the grave. The burial authority may, where it considers the soil to be of suitable character, permit a coffin made of perishable materials to be placed not less than two feet below the level of any ground adjoining the grave and the Council reserves the right to make such investigations as it thinks fit.
10.
Nobody shall be buried in a grave unless the coffin is effectively separate from any coffin interred in the grave on a previous occasion by means of a layer of earth not less than six inches thick.
11.
When any grave is re-opened for the purpose of making another burial therein, no person shall disturb any human remains interred therein.
12.
The Council reserves the right for the Supervisor to prune, cut down or remove any shrubs, plants or flowers whenever, in his/her opinion, they have become unsightly, overgrown or dangerous.
13.
When, in the opinion of the Parish Council, memorials are no longer maintained in good repair and proper condition, they may be removed by order of the Council. If any monument or other work be erected or made in violation of these Regulations, the monument or work may be removed at any time by the Council, without notice, at the cost or expense of the person responsible.
14.
Visitors to the Cemetery are requested to keep on the roads and walks, and not to walk across the graves or to damage the shrubs or flowers. Dogs will not be allowed within the Cemetery unless on a lead. Prams/pushchairs must be in the care of a responsible adult.
15.
No person shall:
 Wilfully create any disturbance in a Cemetery,
 Commit any nuisance in a Cemetery,
 Wilfully interfere with any burial taking place in a Cemetery,
 Wilfully interfere with any grave, walled grave or vault, tombstone or other memorial or any flowers, plants or any such matter, or
 Play at any game or sport in a Cemetery.
16.
No person not being an officer or employee of the burial authority or another person so authorised by or on behalf of the burial authority shall enter or remain in a Cemetery at any hour when it is closed to the public.
Signed: L A Goodban
Parish Clerk by order of Long Melford Parish Council Date: 02.02.10
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REGULATIONS IN RESPECT OF THE BURIAL AUTHORITY’S CEMETERY AND
LAWN CEMETERY
[A] GENERAL
1. No burial shall take place, no cremated human remains shall be scattered, no tombstone or other memorial shall be placed in the cemetery and no additional inscription shall be made on a tombstone or other memorial without the permission of the Parish Council in it capacity as a Burial Authority.
2. All notices, applications or enquiries under these Regulations should be made to the
Cemetery Supervisor in accordance with the current fee sheet.
3. A separate schedule of fees is available on application.
4. The Council reserves the right to alter or vary the foregoing Regulations or to deviate therefrom in any particular instance if it shall appear to them desirable to do so.
5. The Council reserves the right to so maintain, prune, cut down or remove any vegetation including flowers that have become unsightly, overgrown or dangerous.
[B] INTERMENTS
6. Notice of I nterment must be confirmed on the Council’s prescribed form, obtained by email from the Cemetery Supervisor, at least 3 working days preceding the proposed interment.
7. All arrangements for interment made by telephone must be confirmed in writing within 1 working day on the Council’s prescribed form, preferably electronically.
8. In the case of a grave in respect of which the exclusive right of burial has been granted, previously as with a reserved grave, the certificate must be presented to the
Cemetery Supervisor at least 1 working day before the burial.
9. Arrangements with the officiating ministers shall be made by the undertaker or relatives and any such arrangements or payments are separate to those with the Council.
10. Only one funeral will be allowed in the cemetery at any one time except with the consent of the parties concerned.
11. The time fixed for a funeral is that at which the procession is due at the Cemetery and such times must be strictly observed. In the event of a funeral arriving late, the funeral must wait as and where directed by the Cemetery Supervisor until it is convenient for it to proceed. When a Notice of Interment has been given, any alteration of arrangements will only be permitted at the discretion of the Council in respect of any work, which may have already been executed, and any other expenses, which may have been incurred.
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12. On the granting of a new grave, the first interment shall be at a depth of 6 feet and no interment shall take place in any such grave without a covering of earth 2 feet in thickness at the least measuring from the surface of the coffin to the ordinary level of the ground.
13. Nobody shall be buried in a grave unless the coffin is effectively separate from any coffin interred in the grave on a previous occasion by means of a layer of earth not less than six inches thick.
14. The Council would seek that the depth of a new ashes interred to be 18 inches.
[C] PURCHASE OF BURIAL RIGHTS
15. The exclusive right of burial in any such grave space may be purchased by an inhabitant or non-inhabitant subject to the payment of the fees for the time being prescribed by the Council.
16. No transfer of the exclusive right of burial in a grave will be allowed without the approval of the Council and no transfer will be valid unless the Deed of Grant has been properly endorsed by the Clerk of the Council.
17. If it is not found to be practicable to affect the immediate transfer of the exclusive right of burial following the death of the registered owner, the person signing the notice of interment as owner of the right shall thereby indemnify the Council against all claims in respect thereof.
[D] MONUMENTAL WORK AND ERECTIONS
18. All memorials in the cemetery must be constructed, erected and fixed in accordance with good practice as defined by the National Association of Memorial Masons Code of
Working Procedure and the appropriate approved standard.
19. All Stonemasons shall be British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons registered.
20. All gravestones, monuments and memorials must be of stone, marble or granite.
Enclosures, erections and inscriptions are to be subject to the approval of the Council.
It would be preferable if the masons name and plot number is carved in small letters on the back of the stone. This helps with later identification and helps the Cemetery
Supervisor.
21. Drawings of every proposed erection with the proposed inscription showing all dimensions, sections etc., must be submitted and scanned then emailed to the
Cemetery Supervisor, in accordance with the fee sheet, for his approval.
22. No gravestone, monument or memorial may be erected unless a confirmation has been issued by the Cemetery Supervisor and the necessary fees paid.
23. Where the exclusive right of burial in a grave has been purchased the Deed of Grant shall be produced by the person applying for the right to erect a memorial etc.
24. It is preferable that glass shades containing artificial flowers, jam jars, milk bottles or similar jars or bottles or receptacles shall not be allowed upon graves, as there are
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potential safety issues and it create problems for mowing.
25. It is preferable that Wind chimes should not be allowed on graves or anywhere in the cemetery.
26. No grave space shall be enclosed or have a memorial erected thereon unless the exclusive right of burial therein has been purchased.
27. All memorials shall be soundly constructed of good material and shall be kept in good repair and in default thereof the Council reserves the right to remove any such memorials or to require the owners to remove them.
28. The erection, removal or maintenance of memorials by Memorial Masons shall be by prior appointment only.
29. All memorials shall remain at the sole risk of the owners thereof and the Council shall not be responsible for any damage or breakage which may occur to the same.
30. The owners of memorials should have insurance including third party insurance.
31. Each memorial must be kept in good repair by, or for the owner, and at the expense of the owner.
[E] MAINTENANCE OF GRAVE SPACES
32. Wherever an interment has taken place the grave shall forthwith be filled in with earth and the surface of such grave shall be covered with turf, by the Council after 6 months.
33. No mound may be over new graves and any mound over an existing grave which is left untended for any period of 6 months will be levelled by the Council.
[F] MAINTENANCE OF GOOD ORDER
34. The cemetery will open to the public for admission in day light hours only.
35. Any child under 16 years of age may be refused admission by the Council unless accompanied by a responsible adult and all visitors shall keep to the paved walks and drives as far as practicable, refrain from touching shrubs and flowers and shall observe due decorum in all respects.
36. Visitors must keep dogs on leads when entering the cemetery.
37. Any vehicle entering the cemetery must enter via the green farm gate to the east of the cemetery, by prior appointment with the cemetery supervisor.
38. Photographers must not take photographs within the precincts of the cemetery during funerals except upon the express desire of the relatives concerned.
39. The person who shall wilfully destroy or injure any building wall or fence belonging to the cemetery or destroy or injure any tree, plant or shrub therein or who shall daub or disfigure any wall thereof or climb over the walls or gates or put any placard therein or on any wall thereof or wilfully destroy injure or deface any monument, tablet,
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headstone or inscription or do any other wilful damage or who shall play at any game of sport or discharge firearms [save at a military funeral] or wilfully or unlawfully disturb any persons assembled for the purpose of burying anybody or who shall commit any nuisance within the cemetery is liable to prosecution by the Council.
40. The Council will not accept responsibility for any tribute removed or otherwise damaged by persons not in the employment of the Council.
41. Seasonal tributes and holly wreaths still in place the week before Easter will be collected and disposed of by Cemetery Supervisor.
42. Any person creating a nuisance, or disturbance or interfering with a burial service will be requested to leave the cemetery by a member of the cemeteries supervisor or removed by a person authorised to do so, e.g. a police officer, following notification from the Cemetery Supervisor, and will be guilty of an offence.
[G] LAWN SECTION
43. A memorial headstone may be erected at the head of the grave in a flower border the size of which is to be determined on the council fee sheet and in a position approved by the council, subject to the payment of the prescribed fee for placing the memorial on the grave and provided such memorial shall become the property of the Council at the expiration of the period of the grant of the exclusive right of burial in the grave.
44. No other part of the grave space shall be raised above ground level, and it shall be kept turfed flat all over as a lawn.
45. No memorial or flower receptacle or any other article or plant whatsoever shall be placed on or in the turf except as herein provided.
46. The memorial shall be of natural stone, granite or marble.
47. The headstone, with or without base, shall not exceed measurements set out on fee sheet.
48. Provision may be made on the base for the reception of a flower vase or vases.
49. The cemetery plan reference and number of the grave must be cut in the memorial in a position visible after it is placed on the grave and must be completed in the same manner as the other inscriptions on the memorial.
50. The grave will be turfed over to its original level as soon as practicable as and not later than 6 months after the burial, by the cemetery supervisor. Flower tributes will be allowed to remain on the grave for not more than one month after the burial when they will be removed, by the Cemetery Supervisor.
51. It is preferable that artificial flowers and foliage must not be introduced into the cemetery.
52. No kerb sets shall be permitted within the lawn cemetery.
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10 - Funding renovation of the War Memorial
Letter from the War Memorial Trust of 26 th August 2011:-
Dear Mrs Goodban,
WAR MEMORIALS TRUST SMALL GRANT SCHEME
– LONG MELFORD
I am writing in response to your application dated 8 th July 2011 for a grant towards the cost of works at the above memorial.
I regret to inform you that we will be unable to offer you a grant. This is because of our concern with the proposed method statement and the amount of stone replacement detailed in the quote provided. It is clear from the photographs that there has been extensive damage to the stonework, and we would be very interested in trying to assist with funding to repair this damage if there are some amendments to the proposed works.
As per my colleague Emma Nelson’s email to you of 30/06/10, we recommend that you first have a thorough condition survey of the memorial by a conservation-accredited stone conservator or architect. This will provide an assessment of the current condition of the memorial and importantly should identify the likely causes of the problems. This type of report would be eligible for funding under the Small Grants Scheme. A specification for the works should also be produced as part of the report and this will therefore allow for comparable quotes to be obtained for the work.
If it is possible to undertake indents rather than complete replacement this would be our preferred option so that the maximum amount of sound original fabric is retained. Projects for such significant replacement of stone should be supported with a detailed justification as to why this is required. Complete replacement may be more likely to last longer but as noted, we also place importance on retaining original fabric and prolonging the life of this as it also has intrinsic merit. The application also did not include details of why cleaning of the memorial is required as from the photographs supplied there only seems to be minimal biological growths on the memorial; cleaning is not advised unless the deposits are damaging the memorial or obscuring the names on the memorial as it can be damaging.
In addition, only one quote was supplied in support of the application and two are required for this grant scheme. If only one quote can be obtained then evidence that reasonable attempts have been made to obtain additional quotes need to be supplied. As a charity it is important that competitive quotes are supplied with applications to ensure that there is a comparison in terms of costs and methods. This is particularly important in this case due to the potential costs involved and condition of the memorial.
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The application documents for the Small Grants Scheme were sent to you on the recommendation that an application be made towards the condition survey of the memorial; projects with costs of over £5,000 are more appropriate for another grant scheme which has larger amounts of funding available.
I appreciate that this decision will be a great disappointment to you and I am sorry that we are unable to help on this occasion. It is open for you to re-apply for a grant once you are able to supply a revised method statement and quotes. I cannot however, give any guarantee that a further application will be successful. If you are interested in re-applying please contact me in advance so that we can determine the appropriate grant scheme and
I can provide you with the application documents.
If you have any queries about the contents of this letter please do not hesitate to contact me on 020 7233 7356. I am happy to discuss the points further and give advice about the different options available.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Amy Davidson
Conservation Officer
13 - Repairs and/or replacement to the Equipment and Surface at the Cordell Road
Play Area
Quotation for repairs as:-
Work Description
Various Playground repairs including:
Replace surfacing mats underneath the MegaSwing
Remove 2 tiles under Fort Multiplay with replace with wetpour
Replace mis-matched slats around platform of Fort Multiplay
Replace tabletop wood of Fort Multiplay
Replace all bushes on swings
Replace missing safety caps
Costing
To replace mats underneath the Megaswing £318.00
Remove 2 tiles under Fort Multiplay with replace with wetpour
£354.00
To replace mismatched slats and replace the tabletop on the Fort Multiplay £366.00
To replace swing bushes and safety caps £150.00
Total £1188.00
All prices are subject to VAT
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Advice
We are concerned that the wetpour repair to the flooring under the Fort Multiplay unit may not adhere to the underlying substrate. We are not able to source replacement rubber tiles due to the age of the installation. In view of the cost of repair to the Fort Multiplay unit it may be worth considering its removal. If the unit remains the repairs are necessary to make it safe to use.
Considerations
In light of the advice from the contractor the repair to the Fort Multiplay needs to be carefully considered. The Council meeting of 18 th June 2013 referred consideration to the
Burial Ground and Open Spaces Committee with a maxi mum sum of £1200. Advice is being sought from Playdale, the supplier of the last play equipment. Playdale have agreed to visit the site (possible date 11 th July 2013) but have recommended that the Fort is removed.
The Finance Committee, in reviewing the budget 2003/14, allocated a reserve sum of
£5000 to playgrounds. Outside the proposed lighting at Cordell Place there is £44651 of
Section 106 money.
The Committee needs to agree the best options having regard to the future provision and equipment on this site.
END OF REPORTS
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