Council cemetery

NETTLEHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Burial Ground Rules

1. GENERAL

1.1 The Burial Ground will normally be open to the public between dawn and dusk each day.

1.2 The Burial Ground is administered by and is under the charge of the Clerk to Nettleham Parish Council whose Office is at The Parish Office, Scothern Road, Nettleham. Normal Office Hours are 9.00am – 12.00 noon Monday to Thursday (excluding Public and Bank Holidays).

1.3 The Council will maintain the Burial Ground in a good and decent order.  The Council reserves the right to prune, cut down or remove any shrubs or trees within the Burial Ground at any time in order to maintain decent order.

1.4 Plans of the Burial Ground are kept at the Parish Office and may be seen during office hours identified in (1.2) above, without charge. A copy of the rules and regulations, table of fees etc. may also be obtained. All Burial Records are kept at the Parish Office and will be made available to individuals with an established interest who can request information from the Clerk during normal office hours. 

1.5 The allocation of all grave spaces and cremated remains plots is subject to agreement and approval of the Clerk. Reservation allocation of grave spaces and cremated remains plots shall be subject to payment of fees applicable at the time of allocation and shall be in force for a period of eighty years. Further fees are payable at the prevailing rate upon an interment taking place in a reserved space.

2. BURIALS

2.1 The Council will grant to any person the exclusive right of a burial plot, in the designated area for burials, for a period of eighty years. No burial shall take place, or any memorial placed relating thereto, without the prior permission of the Clerk to the Parish Council. All excavations for the interment shall be undertaken only by persons approved by the Council

2.2 In every case a minimum of forty-eight hours’ notice shall be given at the office, confirmed in writing within twenty-four hours, excluding weekends, Public and Bank Holidays. The only exceptions to this rule are in cases of epidemic diseases and where extraordinary circumstances prevail.

2.3 Every notice of interment shall be on the form provided or otherwise agreed by the Council and must contain a full and true statement of the particulars required and be signed by the applicant. All fees and charges shall be paid at the time of giving notice and no interment will be allowed to take place in any grave for which any fees remain unpaid unless an ‘account’ arrangement has been agreed by the Council.

2.4 Orders or instructions received by telephone shall be confirmed in writing within twenty-four hours.   The Council will not accept responsibility for loss of any remittances or instructions forwarded by post.

2.5 The Registrar’s or Coroner’s Certificate for the disposal shall be handed in at the office prior to the funeral taking place.

2.6 No grave shall be opened within three years after the burial of a person above the age of one month, unless to bury the cremated remains of another member of the same family. The regulation shall not be deemed to apply to the burial of cremated remains of a stillborn or child under the age of one month. 

3.  MEMORIALS (Burials)

3.1 Before the erection of any memorial or other work relating to a burial plot an application must be made to the Council on the appropriate form provided. This application must include a drawing/sketch with measurements and nature of the proposed memorial, along with full details of proposed inscription. Subject to approval and on payment of the appropriate fees, authorisation will be granted. No memorial may be erected or inscription made, unless approved by the Clerk to the Parish Council.

3.2 All Memorials shall be constructed of good quality stone with all fixings made in accordance with recognised trade standards (Recommendations of National Association of Monumental Masons (NAMM) or equivalent) and shall be stabilised using the recommended underground fixing. Headstones shall be erected vertically on the outer edge of the plot at the head of the grave and shall not exceed 900mm (3’) in height measured from the ground nor 900mm (3’) in width, nor 100mm (4”) in thickness and shall be in positions approved by the Clerk. 

3.3 In the event of neglect of any memorial, after 3 months’ notice posted or delivered to the last known address of the owner, the Council shall have the right to remove or otherwise dispose of any such memorial as they may direct. The Council reserves the right to take any such action as may be deemed appropriate in cases of neglected or vandalised memorials which in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) have become a danger to the public and the cost of such action may be sought from the family or legal representatives.

3.4 All materials must be transported to the Burial Ground by hand or on carts or trucks with wheels of not less than 100mm (4”) in width.

3.5 All persons erecting headstones or memorials must use such means as to protect the grass and the walks as directed by the Clerk their nominated representative and shall be responsible for the clearing of the site following erection of the same including surplus materials.

3.6 The erection (or renewal) of a wooden cross is not allowed other than for a temporary period not exceeding six months, following interment. In default of this regulation the Council reserves the right to remove any such cross.

3.7 Flowers and shrubs must not be planted on purchased graves. The Council will remove any shrubs, plants, or flowers that have been planted in the vicinity of burial plots and the cremated remains area of the Burial Ground. This is to facilitate proper and effective maintenance of the burial ground.

3.8 No grave shall be raised by the use of turf, or any other means, above the level of the ground in the immediate vicinity.

3.9 No vases (other than those incorporated within a memorial), shrubs, trees, plants, artificial wreaths, jars, toys or memorabilia, railings, fencing, or other structures enclosing the grave, shall be permitted. Any breach of this condition may result in the removal of any such item by the Council. This is to facilitate the proper and effective maintenance of the burial ground.

4.  INTERMENT OF CREMATED REMAINS

4.1 No burial of cremated remains shall take place, or any memorial placed relating thereto without the prior permission of the Clerk to the Parish Council.  All excavations for the interment of cremated remains shall be undertaken only by persons approved by the Council.

4.2 The Council will grant to any person the exclusive right of burial in a Cremation Plot on a section specially designated for the interment of cremated remains for a period of eighty years.

4.3 Cremation Plots shall not exceed 450mm by 300mm (18” x 12”)

4.4 Cremated remains may be interred ‘loose’, or in urns and caskets of a suitable design and construction which must be biodegradable.

5.  MEMORIALS (Cremated Remains) 

5.1 A memorial tablet of a good quality natural stone material not exceeding 450mm x 300mm (18” x 12”) with an inscription previously approved by the Clerk may be placed on the plot at ground level, in accordance with NAMM recommendations or equivalent. Nothing other than the memorial tablet may be placed on the ground in the vicinity of the plot.

5.2 Where no approved memorial tablet has been placed, no other type of memorial will be permitted.

5.3 A single vase will be permitted to be placed on or within the memorial tablet.  No additional vases or glass bowls, jars or any other type of container or memorabilia will be permitted. No chippings or borders or shuttering will be permitted on the grassed area of the Cremation Plot.  All offending containers and material will be removed and disposed of by the Council.

6. GENERAL CONDUCT

6.1 Persons within the Burial Ground shall always conduct themselves with proper decorum and any person found conducting themselves in a noisy, discourteous, or disorderly manner will be expelled from the Burial Ground.

6.2 Children under the age of 12 will not be admitted except under the care of a competent person and all persons admitted to the Burial Ground will be subject to the directions of the Clerk or his nominated representative.

6.3 Dogs will only be allowed in the Burial Ground, secured on a lead, and must be prevented from defecating the area.

6.4 Cycling within the Burial Ground is prohibited.

The Council reserves to itself the power to make alterations from time to time in the foregoing rules and regulations.

Approved 1st February 2008 -  (Updated 22.10.15 & 14.09.21)