Couple in bid to create first green burial ground in North Shropshire
By Gill Broad, Whitchurch Herald
PLANS have been submitted to allow the first green burial ground in North Shropshire to be established just outside Whitchurch. James Blantern of Alkington Grange, Alkington, has applied for permission to create the site on a three-acre section of field, holding a maximum of 10 burials a year.
The land he and his wife Emma have chosen as a final resting is described as very beautiful.
It overlooks the Shropshire and Welsh hills and the couple say it’s an ideal site to watch the sun going down.
Mrs Blantern said: “We’ve had good feedback from our neighbours, many of whom have said they will book their own spot.
“We’ve been in contact with local funeral directors, who say they are experiencing an increasing number of enquiries for natural burials.”
The couple say some of the money raised from the venture would go back into planting the area and encouraging wildlife.
Cattle and goats could be grazed on the site, added Mrs Blantern, and it could also be silaged.
Coffins would be made of biodegradable materials and there would be no headstones – relatives could identify burial plots via a website.
The Blanterns have been researching the idea for four years.
The couple went to the Green Burial Group’s conference in August, which was chaired by environmentalist David Bellamy. They spoke to the people who make ‘green’ coffins and casks and decided to take the idea further.
It is thought burials would cost between £500 and £800.
The Blanterns are viewing the plan as a farm diversification scheme. Their 100- acre former dairy farm is now an arable enterprise, which grew corn this year, a crop which made a loss.
The Blanterns hope to hear from planners by the end of January.