Reading burial plots will run out in eight years, council says

Reading Borough Council has been operating the Henley Road Cemetery since 1927

Burial plots in Reading will run out in eight years if action is not taken, the council has warned.

Reading Borough Council said it was looking into four options to find more land before 2029, as it was running out of space faster than predicted.

Options include exploring opening discussions with Caversham Park developers about buying land.

It comes after recreation space made way for 1,376 burial spots in 2015.

The council's policy committee is expected to vote on the proposals on 23 September, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Other options include acquiring land in partnership with neighbouring authorities, and identifying land in a 10-mile radius of Reading where more than 40 years of burial space could be provided.

The remaining Westfield and Mayfield plots at Henley Road Cemetery in Caversham would last about eight years, the council said

The authority has already rejected several proposals, including deepening existing graves that are more than 75 years old, and extending Henley Road Cemetery, which is the council's only remaining burial site with space at Westfield and Mayfield.

Burial activity over the past three years, including during the pandemic, has been significantly higher than the council had predicted, when making estimations in 2015, it said.

It added it was also running out of space more quickly than expected due to a reluctance by families to utilise double-depth graves, which allow for a second burial.

In 2018 there were 203 burials, the following year there were 207 and last year there were 287.

The council said it now predicted there was space at Westfield for the next five years, and three years at Mayfield.