WORK to create more burial space in Oxford could be up to six years away.

Oxford City Council says it is close to launching a feasibility study of potential burial sites, but warned it would be several years before work could begin on any new cemetery.

The council needs to find more space as Headington and Rose Hill cemeteries have been closed to new burials since 2003 and 1995 respectively.

Botley and Wolvercote cemeteries have enough space available to meet demand for about 10 years.

In December, the Oxford Mail revealed the council would spend £20,000 to find the best way to create the first new burial area for the city since Headington Cemetery was extended in 1932. Cemeteries manager Trevor Jackson said: “It’s not as easy as just finding a field and deciding to bury people there.

“There will be a number of planning considerations, because there are regulations for burial sites.

“If, after the feasibility study, an area is pinpointed, it will have to be investigated. This could include borehole testing, which would then be evaluated.

“The study itself could take a year, or even longer.

“The whole project will be long – it could take as long as five or six years before work is ready to start.”

Just outside Oxford, in Kidlington, the village could run out of burial plots within two years.

Parish councillors have revealed they are in advanced negotiations with a landowner to acquire “substantial” space for new graves near the Gosford link road,between Bicester Road and the Sainsbury’s roundabout.

Council chairman David Betts said: “We have a burial ground at St Mary’s Church that has got about two years’ worth of space left.”

He added: “There are lots of Environment Agency restrictions on where you can bury people.

“Kidlington really does need a new burial ground within two years, because the number of people living here who are aged over 60 is increasing.”

The city council study will also need to consider the possibility of pollution of groundwater from burials. Under the Groundwater Regulations 1998, the Environment Agency can take action over burials where groundwater pollution occurs or is likely to occur.

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said the authority was in the process of preparing a tender for specialist consultants to carry out the feasibility study.

  • Thame Town Council is to consider using some of its allotment land to provide more burial space.

Councillors revealed this week that there was no more space available at St Mary’s Church and said that they were looking at the possibility of taking land from the adjacent allotments.

The council plans to commission a study to find out whether the area is suitable to use for burials.