Back in 2012, Bottisham Parish Council began work on what has been a long-running project: finding land and developing a new cemetery for the village. This was necessitated by our existing cemetery nearing capacity for coffin burials (cremated ashes require negligible space and were not a concern).
Over the years a great deal of work by councillors and residents went into the project. Planning permission for the new cemetery was granted in May 2023, and towards the end of 2025 terms were agreed for East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC), acting on behalf of the Parish Council, to compulsorily purchase land on Lode Road currently held in trust by the National Trust.
Residents’ Survey
The project would have been partly funded through a Public Works Loan, which required the Council to demonstrate support from residents. At that time, projections suggested the loan could be repaid without increasing the parish precept, thanks to the Council’s accumulated reserves.
A six-week residents’ survey, closing on 16 January 2026, asked two simple questions: whether residents supported the Parish Councilcontinuing with the project,and whether they supported the Council applying fora loan to finance it.
The survey received 107 responses, of which 97 supported continuing with the project and financing it through the loan.
New Information and an Engagement Event
While the survey was still running, tenders coming in indicated that completion costs would be significantly higher than had been projected. This meant a larger loan might be required, with a potential increase in the precept.
At the same time, the Council noted a sharp decline in coffin burials in the cemetery. Earlier in the decade Bottisham averaged more than seven burials per year, but no burials took place in 2025.
Considering this new information, the Parish Council felt it was important to share it with residents before making any final decision. With decisions needing to be urgently made, a residents “Engagement Event “was held on 21 February at Bottisham Sports and Social Club. Notices were placed locally, online and personal invitations delivered to residents who had supported the project in the recent survey.
Thirty-two residents attended. After hearing a presentation on the revised costs and burial trends, residents were invited to give their views. Of the 32 responses received, 25 said they did not support continuing with the project.
Possible Changes to Burial Law
Residents at the meeting also heard about possible changes to national burial law. In response to a national shortage of burial provision, the “Law Commission” is expected to recommend legal reforms that would allow the reuse of graves more than 75 years old (using a method known as “lift and deepen”). Already permitted in London boroughs since 2007, this practice would now be extended across the whole country. It is also expected to recommend that closed churchyards, such as we have at Holy Trinity in Bottisham, could reopen for burials. Albeit this would also require authorisation by the church authorities.
It may take a couple of years for the recommendations to become law (2028 is suggested). However, as/when it occurs, we should have ample space for burials in our current cemetery for the foreseeable future.
Given the current low burial rates, the Parish Council believes we have sufficient provision in the cemetery until those changes take effect. Several nearby village cemeteries also have available space, already occasionally used by Bottisham residents.
Council Decision
At its meeting on 2 March, the Parish Council resolved not to proceed with the purchase of the land and the development of a new cemetery.
Instead, the Council will focus on making best use of the existing cemetery, including investigating the use of ground-penetrating radar to help identify unused grave spaces in older, unmarked areas.
Thank You
The Parish Council would like to thank everyone, councillors and residents alike, who has contributed time, effort and thought to this project over the past 14 years. While it is disappointing that the project will not now go ahead, the Council believes this is the right decision based on the latest information.
Our focus will now be on maintaining and improving the existing cemetery and churchyard, ensuring they remain peaceful, respectful and valued spaces for the village.
More information, including the presentation from the engagement event, can be found in the .pdf attached.