Allotments set to return to graveyard use

Land currently used for allotments is set to be returned to its original use as a cemetery.

Reading Borough Council's proposals for the site in Henley Road, Caversham, would provide about 2,300 new graves. They have been recommended for approval by the authority's policy committee.

The council said it had exhausted "all other realistic and affordable options".

Allotment holders, some of whom had been growing fruit and vegetables on the site for 30 years, previously called the plans "tragic".

The allotment land adjoining the cemetery is designated as "reserve cemetery ground", meaning it was only being used for allotments until more burial space was needed.

The council previously warned the borough would likely run out of room for new burials by 2030.

Using Henley Road allotments would delay this for about 14 years, it said.

Speaking in September, during a consultation over the plans, allotment holder Jenny Morgan, said: "The potential for it [the allotment site] to all be destroyed is actually quite tragic.

"Many of the people here are of an age that they need to get out and get vitamin D, and the exercise," she added.

Ellie Emberson, lead councillor for corporate services and resources, said the site was always likely to be needed for burial space "at some point".

"We of course recognise that for existing allotment holders the thought of uprooting and moving to an alternative plot will be upsetting, particularly for those who have cultivated at the site for several years," she added.

A consultation found 46.4% of people believed the council should continue to provide burials in Reading.

More than half of the allotment holders who responded said they would want to continue on an alternative allotment site and would seek support from the council to relocate.

The recommendation is due to be discussed by the council's policy committee later in the year.

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