Minutes:
The Committee considered the undernoted report:
“1 Relevant Background Information
Members will be aware that as part of the approach to cemetery and crematorium development we have been engaged in a process to identify a site for development as a new cemetery and that discussions have been ongoing around a potential site at Dundrod.
The site at Dundrod came to the Council through an expression of interest exercise which the Council initiated. This site was put forward by an agent acting on behalf of a business man who holds an option on the site. Officers from the Parks and Leisure Department, Legal Services and the Estates Management Unit have held a number of meetings with the party who holds an option on the site along with their agent. The Council is aware of who the landowners are but at this point have had no direct dealings with them.
A company, Carston Undertakings Ltd, has now been established and has taken over the option on the site. Carston Undertakings has commissioned a number of pieces of work around the development of the site and a delegation led by Strategic Planning made a presentation, on their behalf, to the Committee in June, outlining their proposals for the development of a cemetery on the site.
2 Key Issues
Members will be aware that in selecting a site for development as a potential cemetery there are several issues that needs to be considered. These include:
· Hydro-geological conditions – there are strict guidelines around the soil type and depth that are required and the potential impact on water sources in the area. NIEA specify the tests that are required to be carried out in relation to this and for the majority of cemetery developments they require Tier 3 tests to be undertaken which are expensive and take approximately 18 months to complete.
· Access and traffic – the Council need to ensure that any cemetery we develop is accessible 365 days a year and that satisfactory access arrangements are provided in accordance with relevant policies i.e. that accesses will not prejudice road safety or significantly inconvenience the flow of traffic.
· Planning assessment – consideration needs to be given to the ease of obtaining planning permission and any issues that might impact on this such as archaeology, ecology and the fit of the development within the proposed location.
· Affordability – given the strict guidelines around cemetery development it is unlikely that a site will be found that does not require significant capital works to bring it to a standard that meets all the guidelines. The costs including the land acquisitions costs and the costs of any development works will have to be balanced against the percentage of the site which can be developed for burials and the number of burial plots that can be provided within the site.
Given the constraints around the development of a cemetery site and the potential costs the Council has commissioned a number of initial studies of the site at Dundrod. These are:
1. Ground investigations undertaken by Glover Site Investigations Ltd (Oct 2011)
A ground investigation was undertaken on the site to provide geotechnical information for input to the assessment of the suitability of the site for burials.
2. Assessment of land for cemetery development, Dundrod, undertaken by McLorinan Consulting Ltd (MCLC) (July 2013)
The main purpose of the screening assessment was to:
· Review previous site investigation works undertaken.
· Identify, in overview, whether the general geological and hydrological setting had the characteristics suitable for avoiding unacceptable environmental impact on groundwater and surface waters.
· Determine what level of additional data may be required to assess the risk to the environment if the overview indicated potentially suitable conditions. Undertake initial engagement with NIEA (environmental regulator) on site suitability prior to embarking on more detailed assessment.
3. A Planning Report prepared by Fleming Mounstephen Planning (Sept 2013)
The report provides a broad planning context and notes potential difficulties including access provision. A pre-application consultation was held with representatives from DOE Strategic Projects Division, Roads Service, Rivers Agency, NIEA Natural Heritage and NIEA Water Management Unit.
4. A screening assessment of a potential cemetery development site with respect to access and sightlines undertaken by RPS (June 2014)
This feasibility study considers the access and visibility arrangements that can be provided at the proposed development site and make recommendations on the acceptability or otherwise of the site in terms of access and visibility arrangements.
The above studies have all been completed and to ensure that the Committee is in an informed position to make a decision on this site we have commissioned URS, who have undertaken previous assessments for the Council in relation to our search for a new cemetery site to draw together all the findings of the previous four studies around the viability of the site and to provide a concise view on the constraints to developing the site to allow Members to make a decision on the options available.
This piece of work has not yet been completed and we expect to have the final report in late August. Officers will bring a report to the Committee meeting in September outlining the findings and making a recommendation on the way forward for this site.
A planning application for a right turn into the site has been submitted by the option holder and as a result local residents have become aware of the potential development of the site as a cemetery. A delegation of local residents, accompanied by their MP and a local Councillor, recently met with the Director of Parks and Leisure to raise their concerns about the proposed development. These concerns have also been picked up by the local media.
Members are advised that the Council has not entered into any contractual arrangements with the option holder regarding this site and nor has the Council made any commitment in terms of agreeing any acquisition terms for the site, including the purchase price. If the site is deemed to be viable for development as a cemetery and Members agree, the Council will enter into negotiations to ascertain whether the land can be acquired at a level of value which could be recommended for Council approval.
Members will also be aware that the Committee has agreed that its preferred position for the future provision of cremation services for the city is the redevelopment and refurbishment of the City of Belfast Crematorium at Roselawn. Officers have been working on bringing this project forward and are currently in the process of commissioning an economic appraisal to consider the options. Members will be kept updated on this project as it progresses.
5 Recommendations
Members are asked to note the contents of this report.”
The Committee noted the information which had been provided.