Issa Brothers' cemetery plan withdrawn again

The original application for land off Blackburn Road, near West End Business Park, was withdrawn in January 2022

The latest version of a proposal to build a controversial new cemetery on land between Oswaldtwistle and Blackburn in Lancashire has been withdrawn after councillors were urged to reject it.

The original bid for land off Blackburn Road was withdrawn in January 2022 after a wave of protests from nearby residents.

In October last year, the Issa Foundation – created by Blackburn brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa who founded the petrol forecourt firm EG Group –submitted a new scheme reducing the cemetery from 84 acres (34 hectares), to 45 (18 hectares), cutting grave plots from 35,000 to 12,250 and including only one pavilion.

A Foundation spokesman said they will "work towards a revised application".

'Embarrassment'

The new scheme generated 1,415 objections, with several speakers scheduled to oppose the proposal next week.

But a report to Wednesday's committee by the council's head of planning and transportation Adam Birkett recommended councillors reject the scheme, leading to the Issa Foundation withdrawing the application.

Local St Oswald's ward councillor and Hyndburn Council Conservative group leader Zak Khan urged the charity to now drop the whole proposal and vowed to fight any bid to revive it, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Birkett's report says: "The application site is currently free of existing built form and has a strong degree of openness.

"The proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

"The very formal, uncompromising design of the proposal, with square plateaus formed on the sloping hillside, makes it very difficult for this design to be incorporated into the landscape.

Khan said: "Rather than face the community, the applicants have chosen to run.

"It's a blatant attempt to avoid embarrassment.

"I say, give the land to the residents of Oswaldtwistle so that we can create our own open green space."

An Issa Foundation spokesman said: "This decision has been taken to allow our team, alongside our professional advisers, the opportunity to revisit and refine the proposal further.

"We remain committed to delivering a sensitively designed and much-needed facility."