Lancashire locals have branded plans for a huge multi-faith cemetery “wholly unsuitable”, insisting they are not “Nimbys or racist”.
Plans to build a cemetery with more than 70 parking spaces to accommodate the rise in the local Muslim population in Brierfield received more than 20 objections from infuriated residents.
The initial proposal was for the site to become a Muslim cemetery due to low availability in the only other Islamic graveyard in the vicinity.
But new amendments to the draft have witnessed the plan transform into a 4,500 plot “multi-faith facility”, sparking locals’ fury.
Resident Peter Wilkinson - whose garden extends onto the site - declared the plans an “absolute travesty”
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Resident Peter Wilkinson, whose garden extends onto the site, declared the plans an “absolute travesty”.
“This isn’t a case of Nimbyism or racism. The site is just wholly unsuitable. There’s a reason why previous planning applications for this land were refused,” he told the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, other locals have lamented the potential increase in traffic, adding that there were two schools at the end of the street.
One woman explained: “At three o’clock it’s just chock-a-block on that main road, and we don’t need more traffic.”
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She added that the roads also cannot handle “more traffic” due to the “very boggy” nature of the area’s land.
Jen Lomax, 82, also expressed worry over parking and the local wildlife if the multi-faith cemetery were to be given the go-ahead.
She claimed that residents would end up “outnumbered” by vehicles parked down the street, adding “it’s bad enough parking here at the best of times”.
“There’s a lot of wildlife up there as well, families of deer live there, we get owls, pheasants, loads of different birds. It’s nice and peaceful,” she added, explaining that it would be a “big loss to the area”.
The initial proposal was for the site to become a Muslim cemetery due to low availability in the only other Islamic graveyard in the vicinity (Stock)
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A planning report reads: “Population projections indicate that the Muslim population in Pendle accounts for 18.5 per cent of the total population, with 68 per cent of burials in the Nelson cemetery being Muslim.”
It explains: “Considering the faith requirements for Muslim burials, it is crucial to provide appropriate burial facilities that align with Islamic customs.”
Muslims have a number of burial practices - several of which include having to be buried facing Mecca without a casket - which the document says will “address this need, offering suitable burial plots for the Muslim community”.
Pendle Borough Council’s assistant director of planning Neil Watson said: “We are currently in the consultation phase and would encourage local people to look at the plans and register their comments on the planning portal.”