Future cemetery provisions could cost more than £3m according to Scarborough Council

Cemeteries in Scarborough, Whitby, and Filey are set to face a lack of capacity in coming years and the cost of expanding existing sites and creating new ones could cost at least £3.12m.

A recently published report states that many of the existing cemeteries across the borough will no longer have the capacity to bury residents in coming years unless they are expanded or new sites are found.

However, there has been some disagreement as to where and how further capacity should be created.

The issue will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the authority’s Lives and Homes Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, November 23.

Scarborough Council’s current cemetery sites at Larpool in Whitby, Woodlands in Scarborough, and Lawns in Filey are estimated to reach full capacity at different times.

Based on current burial rates and the number of available burial plots for each cemetery, the authority estimates that Larpool and Woodlands will have reached full capacity in the next three to four years and Lawns cemetery in the next six to eight years.

The plans for expanding capacity in Filey and Scarborough have “widespread” support, according to the council. These plans include extending the Woodlands cemetery in Scarborough.

But although objections have been raised concerning the planned expansion of Whitby’s cemetery provision at Larpool Lane, the council says it is “the only viable one” in the area.

At a meeting of Whitby Town Council in July when the plans for Larpool Lane were presented, concerns were raised about the safety of accessible roads as well as the loss of green and recreational space.

A majority of town council members were not in favour of the site, but a Scarborough Council report states that as long as adequate changes are made to address highway improvement and mitigation, there are “no significant transport-related reasons as to why the Larpool Lane could not be approved as a location for future cemetery use”.

An assessment of the transport options, commissioned by the council, states that Larpool Lane is “well positioned for development into a cemetery site, with a range of travel modes available to those attending the site”.

However, the council has stated that any future decisions on which sites to approve for cemetery development will be deferred until next April’s local government reorganisation which will see borough councils replaced by a new North Yorkshire Council.

The budget assigned for the current stage of the council’s feasibility assessment is £400,000.