New consultants appointed for Abergele grave search

Mar 11 2010 by Ian Hughes, North Wales Weekly News

A SOLUTION to Abergele’s ongoing burial space problem may be on the horizon.

For over ten years the town council has struggled to find a solution as cemetery room runs out.

Conwy County Council’s environment service has appointed project manager Gethin Morgan to deal with the problem.

It has also appointed outside help in the form of Jim Graham from Mott MacDonald consultants.

The news comes after 20 acres of land has gone up for sale near Gwrych Castle.

Cllr Brian Roberts has said this action is long overdue.

“The county council has been backtracking for far too long and Abergele Town Council urges them to resolve the matter.”

“We’ve been waiting for ten years for a solution and that is far to long,” he added.

The last site proposed, undisclosed by the council, was rejected on the grounds of potential flooding. This has been a common obstacle to the problem.

In April 1999 the first piece of land considered was adjacent to the entrance to Gwrych Castle. It was also rejected because of issues with the water table.

Since then, 18 different sites have been proposed, and all refused, including Berthes Road and St George Road, which both had drainage problems.

The land past Llanddulas business park has also been refused due to planning irregularities.

A plot considered in 2005 was turned down due to a land owner’s reluctance to sell.

One potential option discussed by the council is a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

Worries have arisen over when to sanction this as the red tape could make the process too long.

In April 2004 a land owner was reluctant to sell land at St George Road amid claims a CPO would put her out of business.

Last December, further space was found at St Michael’s Parish Church.

Authorities are against the clock as this space runs out.

They are now looking at extending the search to surrounding areas.