Issas scale down plan for controversial cemetery

The Issa Foundation is the charity created by Blackburn brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa

A controversial cemetery plan has been scaled down by half after a wave of objections from neighbours.

The Issa Foundation has submitted a new scaled-down planning application which halves the size of the graveyard, reduces the number of plots by two-thirds and moves it to the north-west edge of the site between Oswaldwistle and Blackburn.

The original proposal on 84 acres (34 hectares), of land off Blackburn Road near West End Business Park, was for 35,000 burial plots along with prayer pavilions and over 660 car parking spaces.

The application was withdrawn in January 2022 after a wave of protest from nearby residents.

The new blueprint halves the size of the graveyard and moves it to the north-west edge of the site near the M65

Now a new smaller plan has been submitted to Hyndburn Council by the Issa Foundation – the charity created by Blackburn brothers Mohsin and Zuber who founded the petrol forecourt giant EG Group and own the Asda supermarket chain.

The latest application – currently being validated by town hall planners – reduced the size of the cemetery to 45 acres, cuts the number of grave plots to 12,250 and proposes just 387 parking places.

It will have a single pavilion and was originally planned be open to burials for people of all faiths from the wider East Lancashire area.

The foundation hopes the reduction in size, re-siting and other changes will allay local people’s fears but Hyndburn Council Conservative group leader councillor Zak Khan said he and residents in his St Oswald’s ward remained "adamantly opposed" to the project.

“Reducing the size of this cemetery does not make it any more acceptable," he said.

A spokesman for the Issa Foundation said: “The decision to move forward with this application follows a period of successful public engagement and consultation with the local planning authority.

“The feedback provided by residents, the local authority and from our team of planning professionals, has been invaluable in re-shaping the final design."