Cemetery expansion 'reasonable' - says report

The expansion of South Bristol Cemetery and Crematorium had been put on hold while the internal investigation was carried out

Decisions surrounding the controversial expansion of South Bristol Cemetery and Crematorium were "compliant" and "reasonable", a city council report has found.

The report was ordered by the new leader of the council, Green Party councillor Tony Dyer, who said it had "laid the path" to reaching a conclusion on the matter.

The council wants to expand the cemetery due to a shortage of burial spaces.

But campaigners oppose the £3m expansion of the crematorium, which would go onto land currently used by Bristol's last working Farm - Yew Tree Farm.

The council wants to expand the cemetery due to a shortage of burial spaces

Catherine Withers, who runs the farm, has said the Green Party, "would never get elected again" if the expansion goes ahead.

The report - written by the council's own legal team - focussed on four decision making areas.

These included the decision by the council's planning committee to approve the expansion plans at a meeting last year, as well an application by a third party to remove part of a hedgerow on the farm.

The report concluded that "all executive and regulatory decisions associated with the project were taken appropriately, legally and with relevant information considered".

However, the future of the expansion remains unclear.

The removal of this ancient hedgerow at Yew Tree Farm formed part of the council's report

At the meeting last November, campaigners against the crematorium's expansion heckled councillors who had voted in favour of it.

It led to a political row between the Labour group and the Green Party.

The scenes marked the dividing lines on the issue, with Green Party councillors supporting the continued use of the land by Yew Tree Farm for cattle grazing, however they were outvoted by those sympathetic to the need for more burial space in the city.

The political situation has since changed in Bristol, with the Green Party now the largest group on Bristol City Council, following elections last May.

'Complex topic'

Responding to the report, Mr Dyer said it "provides a welcome opportunity to take a breath and fully consider the various issues and factors relating to what is a complex topic".

"With the clarity this review provides on how we’ve arrived at the situation we face, the path is laid down to support coming to an appropriate conclusion," he added, without outlining what his preferred conclusion is.

Meanwhile, campaigners continue to oppose any development on Yew Tree Farm, with a crowd funder launched recently to mount a legal challenge against the crematorium expansion.

The issue will return to the council's Public Health Policy Committee in October.