Ipsley Meadow Cemetery

A new cemetery is being planned in Redditch, with some works set to begin in 2024.

Contents

• Background
• Next steps
• Frequently asked questions

---

Background

In October 2021 plans to create a cemetery at Ipsley Meadow were approved by councillors as the change of use was granted.

This was in response to the national shortage of burial sites and to give Redditch residents an option to continue to stay in the borough when their physical life came to an end.

Covering 11.5 acres it is believed that the land, to the west of Icknield Street Drive, could be big enough to act as a cemetery for the next 80 years.

Funds of £320,000 have been put aside for the project.

Pictured above: an indicative conceptual landscape plan of the cemetery, from the planning application for change of use of the land.

---

Next steps

Hedges on land to the west of Icknield Street Drive will be removed by our teams in February. That's in preparation for works to create an entrance to the site to begin in April. The removal had to take place now so it didn’t impact on the nesting season.

A planning application will also be put in later this year to finalise the design of the cemetery, on which we are also working closely with the Woodland Trust.

---

Frequently asked questions

Questions	Answers
Why Ispley Meadow?	After a couple of years of searching it was the preferred option put before elected councillors. Other options were considered including no new burial provision, to reuse Plymouth Road Cemetery, or to develop parcels of land surrounding the existing Abbey Cemetery around Bordesley Abbey.
That’s a lot of money	Developing the site is cheaper than buying new land from a developer.
Can I object to the plans?	Plans for the appropriation of the site have already been approved, with a change of use application granted by the Planning Committee in 2021. At the time, members of the public were allowed extra time to speak at the relevant meetings so their views could be heard on this issue. Now a pending second planning application, which will follow on from that initial change of use application and will be for the specifics of what the burial ground would look like, will include an opportunity to respond to those specific proposals, during consultation as part of the normal planning process.
Will I still be able to walk through the site?	Yes. It will not be proposed to be closed off, and improved pathways will be proposed as part of the detailed planning application.
Isn't it too wet for a cemetery?	No. Specialist core drilling investigations carried out in 2016, as part of the process that culminated in selecting this location, helped established that the ground is suitable for burials. For more information, please refer to the planning application which goes into this in detail. Surface drainage would be addressed as part of any works as normal.
What about the impact on wildlife there?	The proposals, working with the Woodland Trust, will increase the number of trees and opportunities for biodiversity on the site. The council's intention is to make it more green than it currently is.
What about all the traffic this will create there?	It will be a burial ground only with no buildings or extra services to be proposed. It is not expected to generate lots of traffic.
How much of the site will this tarmac over?	None as such. The proposals will include improved footpaths, which would be hard standing, and some car parking just off Ipsley Church Lane, which would be permeable paving through which the grass can grow so it is more sympathetic to the green setting.
Why not just not do this at all?	Burial space in the borough is running out, and councillors chose to ensure that people could still choose to be buried in Redditch if they wish. Doing nothing was an option considered by the council but it was not the final decision of the council.
Where is the consultation on this?	Following the council's decision to provide new burial space, consultation has formed a normal part of the planning process for this site, first through the change of use application as granted by the Planning Committee and soon through a pending second planning application to consider the finer details.