New burial ground at Land to the north of Oxford Road near Horspath, Cowley

What was proposed

A 7.34 hectare meadow burial ground with new access, a footpath link, a shelter and parking for the next 40 to 45 years of use.

“Change of use of agricultural land to a 7.34 hectare low impact, landscape-led meadow burial space, with a naturalistic character. One new vehicle access to the site to be constructed and a new footpath link to be provided from the existing council owned car park (in front of the athletics track) to the burial ground. A small, open-sided shelter, a number of benches, signs and hard access ways to be created.”

“The application was for full planning permission for a new burial ground to meet the needs of Oxford City. The site was currently a field of 7.34 hectares. It was estimated that the site could accommodate 120 burials per year and would provide burial spaces for the next 40- 45 years.”

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Objections raised

The parish council objected over flood risk from surface water flowing into a nearby brook, and car park users raised noise and parking concerns.

“Members were advised that some additional comments had been received following publication of the agenda. Horspath Parish Council had maintained their objection over concerns that the site was not suitable for human burials due to their concerns over risks to public health due to surface water flooding into the catchment of Northfield Brook. Additional comments were received from users of the parking area over concerns relating to noise and availability of parking spaces.”

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Green belt and drainage

Officers said cemeteries were not inappropriate in the Green Belt and proposed swales and buffer zones to manage drainage and protect the watercourse.

“While the site was located in the Oxford Green Belt, cemeteries were not considered to be inappropriate development. Two areas of concern relating to drainage and parking had been raised by Horspath Parish Council and users of the car park.”

“The site was located in flood zone 1 and experiences run-off onto Oxford Road during periods of heavy rainfall. The site was currently a field with no management of water. The proposal included a series of swales, which were shallow, excavated channels designed to capture and slow surface run-off.”

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Car parking arrangements

Additional parking spaces would be created and burial events timed to avoid clashing with busy sporting events.

“In relation to the car park, the existing lines would be repainted to create 15 additional spaces for the use of the burial ground. Burial events would generally take place at off peak hours between 9:00am and 3:00pm on weekdays. Burial events would not be scheduled at times of pre-notified sporting events of high parking demand.”

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What officers recommended

Officers proposed amended conditions and recommended approval of the application.

“Amendments to conditions 5, 10 and 18 were proposed and the application was recommended for approval.”

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Who spoke

Four supporters spoke in favour of the application.

What members debated

Members asked about pollutants from graves, and were told the Environment Agency's concerns had been addressed through conditions.

“A member asked for clarification over concerns relating to pollutants from graves. The committee were advised that the Environment Agency had considered the scheme and initial concerns had been addressed by the applicant and mitigated by conditions.”

“Members acknowledged that this was a well thought out scheme with a lot of positives.”

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