South Scarle Parish Meeting

Community Burial Ground – Rules, regulations and charges

Introduction

South Scarle Parish Meeting is the legal burial authority and manages and maintains the Community Burial Ground on Church Lane and aims to ensure that consistently high standards are maintained.  The Burial Ground was first dedicated in May 1949.  Since then, the Parish Meeting has provided cemetery services and will endeavour to do so in the future.

To ensure that consistent high standards of service are maintained, the Parish has produced this booklet.  It contains the Parish’s guidelines that will ensure statutory requires as detailed in the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977 are complied with.

Interments

1. Notice is to be given Mondays to Fridays to the Clerk of the South Scarle Parish Meeting by

Telephone 07971890847

Email clerksscarle@btinternet.com

2. All fees and charges due to the Parish are to be paid to the Clerk, with cheques/e-banking made payable to South Scarle Parish Meeting.

3. Selection of burial/cremation plots is subject to the approval of the Clerk.  Reservation of plots is allowed for a period not exceeding 10 years and subject to confirmation by the applicant of the wish to retain the plot at the end of each period will be extended for a further 10 years.  A non-refundable reservation fee detailed in Schedule 1 is payable on the first reservation.

4. The purchase of an Exclusive Right of Burial is granted for the period of 99 years in accordance with the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977.  A deed of grant should be obtained and kept.  Such deed to be presented to the clerk at the time of notification of an internment.

5. The rights detailed in 3 and 4 above are available to all current or past South Scarle residents.  Non-residents, subject to the Clerk’s approval of application, will be charged at double the residents’ fees as approved by SSPM.

6. Due to local ground conditions it is not possible to permit double graves.  All graves will be single and require a final surface cover of 3ft (0.9m) minimum.  It is permitted to place a cremation ashes urn above a coffin subject to the clerks approval and appropriate fees paid, as per “cremated remains schedule”.

7. The date and timing of any proposed internment must be approved in advance by the Clerk.

8. Cremation plots are 2ft (0.6m) square.

Memorial and Inscriptions

  1. All memorials installed in the Burial Ground, having been approved by the Parish Clerk, shall conform to the National Association of Memorial Masons Code of Working Practice or the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons Blue Book and BS 8415 specification for memorial and monuments in burial grounds.  (NB; Memorials are for the purpose of this document, single units as in (2) below, placed at the head of a plot only.)
  2. The Burial Ground is described as a Lawn type and therefore no raised graves or surrounds are permitted.  All burial memorials to be vertical headstones and cremation memorials to be flat slabs unless otherwise approved by SSPM Clerk.
  3. All memorials must be installed so as not to present a safety hazard for a period of at least 30 years.  The base slab of lawn memorials must be made stable by an anchoring tube driven through the centre of the slab.  The lawn memorial must be fixed to the base slab with a lock down system.
  4. All memorials and inscriptions are to be subject to the approval of the Parish.  The Clerk must approve all dimensions of the memorial or tablet BEFORE erection in Cemetery.  A copy of the inscription or additional inscription must also be approved by the Parish.  All memorials and tablets are to be kept in repairs by the owners, and if not repaired after due notice it may be removed by order of the Parish.
  5. All memorials for burial plots should not exceed 2’6″ x 2’6″ (0.76m x 0.76m) and must be approved by the Parish.  Payment must be made before installation.  Memorials for full-sized graves should not be installed until 6 months after burial.  This is to prevent movement of the memorial due to ground settlement.  A properly qualified stonemason must erect all memorials.
  6. All memorials for cremation plots should not exceed 2′ x 2′ (0.6m x 0.6m) and must be approved by the Parish.  Payment must be made before installation.  No planting or borders should be placed in addition to these dimensions to allow for grass cutting and to preserve the space between the plots.  Cremation memorials can be laid by any suitably competent person who undertakes to comply with the above regulations.
  7. All memorials are the sole responsibility of the owner of the grave and should that person move from the address given in the Parish’s Register of Purchased/Reserved Graves/Plots, they must notify the Parish of their change of address.  The Parish reserves the right to lay flat any memorial that becomes dislodged and dangerous and will endeavour to contact the owner, should this become necessary.

General Maintenance

  1. No bushes, flowers or ornamental shrubs may be planted in the Cemetery, except within the grave space for which exclusive rights have been granted and shall not encroach onto the paths surrounding the grave.  The planting of any flowers or shrubs on the Cremation Plot is forbidden, although flowers may be placed in non-breakable vases or containers standing on the memorial tablet.  The planting of trees within grave spaces is prohibited and at other locations would be subject to SSPM/Clerks specific approval.
  2. All bricks, stones, excess soil and other rubbish shall be removed by the parties by whom it has been caused.  Undertakers to advise grave diggers of this requirement or they will be recalled.
  3. Fencing around graves is not permitted.  No loose stones maybe placed as edging around the graves.
  4. Persons committing injury or wilful damage within the Burial Ground are liable to a penalty not exceeding £1,000 by order of the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977.
  5. Flowers may be placed on the grave, directly on the ground or the flat stone, as follows:
    • Faded flowers should be removed promptly
    • Floral tributes should not exceed or overlap the normal grave space
    • The Parish will dispose of faded floral tributes if these are not removed by the family of the bereaved
    • No inanimate objects are to be allowed on the grave
  6. The Parish reserves the right to remove any object that impedes maintenance.
  7. No paving stones may be laid around the grave space, and planting of any shrub or inanimate object adjacent to the grave, or beyond the confines of the grave space, is not allowed.
  8. NB There are no fees for a child under the age of 12 at the time of their passing.

Community Burial Ground Fees – Schedule 1 Effective September 2022

Internments

Exclusive Rights of Burial – Fee £285 (reserve deposit £100**)

Cremated Remains* – Fee £140 (reserve deposit £30**)

Burial of a child under 12 Years – Fee Nil***

Registration and Admin – Fee Nil

Memorials

Headstone (2’6″ x 2’6″) – Fee £170

Flat Tablet (2′ x 2′) – Fee £100

Vase – Fee £70

Additional Inscription – Fee £80

The fees for non-residents of South Scarle, subject to approval, is double those listed above.

*Fee application also where the grave plot is used for internment above.

**Balance of fee in force at the time payable when option taken.

***No fees application to a child under 12 at the time of their passing.

Please note: The Parish Clerk noted on this form will change. The position of Parish Clerk will be the relevant contact point.

SSBGREGS (version 7a1)

February 20 2023