Woods will host 'Green' funerals By Greg Burns of the Buckinghamshire Advertiser.
	The plans to develop an environmentally friendly burial site have moved a step closer now that a formal planning application has been submitted. The application for a burial park set in 72 acres of woodland in Pitlands Wood, Potkiln Lane, and open 365 days a year, has been handed to South Bucks District Council (SBDC). In January this year members of the public were invited to view the details of the proposals at Beaconsfield Library and online and encouraged to complete a feedback form. The positive response that Colney Memorial Parks, the company behind the proposals, received in response has prompted them to hand in the application which they are confident will be successful. Colney Memorial Parks managing director Nick Taylor said: “The feedback we had was overwhelmingly positive, with a lot of support for the environmentally sensitive proposals. “We chose Beaconsfield because of its proximity to large areas of population, the environmental suitability of the site and the limited options locally available. Funeral directors have welcomed our proposals.” Mary-Anne Hall is a member of Seer Green and Jordans Society, who are concerned about the effects the site would have on the surrounding area, and have outlined their concerns in a recent letter to SBDC. She said: “We have no objection to the idea of a ‘green cemetery’ as it is a form of burial which may become increasingly popular. However we are concerned about this planning application. “We consider that this proposed development will significantly alter the character of this area which is designated Green Belt and a Local Landscape area. “Although Green Belt policy does give discretion to allow an application for new buildings to provide essential facilities for cemeteries, the scale of this burial park together with associated buildings, car parking, drives and entrance gates makes this proposed development wholly inappropriate for the area.” Colney Memorial Parks currently manage a 12 acre Colney Wood Burial Park in Norfolk, the winner of the UK’s top green burial site at the Cemetery of the Year awards.		Plan of Pitlands Wood. Last year they were granted permission to convert 52 acres of Epping Forest into burial ground, and they hope to build upon that with the site at Pitlands Wood, which would hold approximately 400 double plots per acre. The woodland would be divided up into zones with prices depending on the type of service and the location of the plot with ash scattering starting at £120 and full burials believed to cost in the same region as traditional cemetery services. Graves are laid out in circles among the trees, and only wooden memorials are permitted, as over time these will return to the soil as part of their ‘circle of life’ philosophy. The burial services can last anything up to two-and-a-half hours, and depending on the family, can be secular or religious, as long as environmentally friendly coffins are used. Time is allowed for each family and trained staff are on hand for support and advice and those who wish to plan their final resting place during their lifetime could even choose plots and purchase them in advance. Tuesday 20th April 2007. [Go to source]
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