The Sunday Express is reporting that villagers whose last resting place is a discreet plot in a country churchyard may well be turning in their graves.
The paper mentions that plans are afoot to open an environmentally-friendly burial ground where pet lovers can be interred alongside their beloved animals.
The village of Stainton-by-Langworth, north of Lincoln, will become the only place in England where humans can be buried with their dogs, cats and even hamsters forever.
West Lindsey District Council gave permission for the scheme because the local churchyard of St. John the Baptist is, like many others in Britain, fast running out of space.
Mrs. Deidre Oswin, who lives in nearby Langworth village, is quoted as saying:
"Some people might take to the idea but it is a very peculiar sort of planning application. It’s quite unusual, to say the least."Cllr. Mrs. Meg Davidson, Conservative (Fiskerton Ward), is reported as saying she was braced for an outcry and the need for a special planning meeting to explain what the project was about. But she was surprised to find that, after some initial concern, the plan was approved without opposition from the district or parish councils. Mrs Davidson is reported to have said:
"It did seem very strange at first and we didn’t quite know what to make of it all.An acre of the four-and-a-quarter acre site will be dedicated to animal burials and the rest of the space will become a 'green' human burial ground. The application indicates that the burial site aims to have a low impact on the environment while maintaining a rural appearance.
"We didn’t know what the local reaction would be as nothing like that has happened round here before, but after everything was explained there were no real objections.
"Many people thought it made sense because graveyards, as everyone knows, are running out of space."
People who choose to be buried there will have biodegradable shrouds instead of wooden coffins, with a tree or flat plaque to mark the grave instead of a traditional headstone.
The site will remain agricultural and wildlife will be encouraged. It is intended that, over time, it will turn into a small wood and orchard.
The paper report that the Environment Agency has issued a licence for the burial of animals at Stainton-by-Langworth and believed it would become the first burial ground in England where pets could be buried with their owners. A spokesman explained:
"We have never heard of a burial ground like this before.
"It seems like a new but rather strange trend – people not wanting to be separated from their pets in death, that is."There are nineteen pet cemeteries in England and Wales but so far none has been linked with human cemeteries.
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Acknowledgement: Express.co.uk | UK News | 24/01/10
