Approximately 3000 cremations and 800 burials take place annually across Sheffield, with further, specific services such as the burial of cremated remains, purchasing and displaying of memorials and storage of remains also being offered.
Sheffield City Council has been working at pace to develop its Cremation, Burial and Cemetery Green Spaces Strategy, aimed at providing a high-quality bereavement service to the people of Sheffield for years to come.
As part of this work, the Strategy and Resources Committee will hear on Wednesday 19th March about the progress that has been made by the Council to secure new burial provision. So far this includes:
- Identifying a shortlist of potential cemetery sites – A range of sites have been assessed to determine their suitability against several factors, including current use and ownership, planning history, accessibility, heritage, archaeology, ecology, land suitability and more. As a result, the list has been narrowed down to eight potential sites. Specific locations are not shareable at this stage in the process.
- Formation of a multidisciplinary working group – Representatives from multiple council departments, including Property, Planning, Ecology and Bereavement Services, have formed a working group to assess the feasibility of creating new burial spaces within the city, demonstrating a strong commitment to cross-service ownership of the issue.
- Assessed need – Work has taken place to review our existing burial provision including the number of remaining burial spaces and the ground conditions of those spaces, as well as an assessment of future demand for services.
- Carried out city-wide consultation – A public consultation was carried out in March 2024, with 2920 responses. The feedback will help to shape the future of cemetery services.
- Developed a cross-party task group – Collaboratively, the group has produced more than 80 recommendations to be considered in the Cremation, Burial and Cemetery Green Spaces Strategy.
“The loss of a loved one affects us all at some point in our lives. We are making progress to identify sites for new burial provision. This is an issue that impacts on all communities in all parts of the city of all faiths and none.
“We are working to ensure there is a dignified inclusive and accessible offering for all of Sheffield’s communities. Our work to identify new burial sites is informed by close communication with residents. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, including those who have been important advocates for this work, to meet the needs of all our communities.”
Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council and Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee
If approved at Strategy and Resources Committee next week, the Council will progress work to:
- Progress feasibility studies – Work will be carried out to identify which of the eight potential sites may be suitable. Following this, consultation with community stakeholders and detailed ground investigations works will take place.
- Secure funding – Bereavement Services, in collaboration with the Council’s Finance Team, will develop a funding proposal for the new burial sites, including prudential borrowing and using income generated by the service.
- Recruit a dedicate project lead – A new role will be established to oversee the programme of work. The individual will be responsible for developing the project plan, preparing the budget proposals, and will coordinate the feasibility work to identify suitable future sites.
You can read the full report to committee on the Council website.
A further report will be brought back to the Strategy and Resources Committee in Summer 2025.