Cemetery in £80,000 drive work

Council workmen have now started resurfacing the main drive at Fylde’s Lytham Park Cemetery.

Work on the £78,000 scheme, including new kerbs, will be concentrated in the weekends to avoid disruption to mourners.

Coun Cheryl Little, Fylde Council cabinet member for social wellbeing, said: “This is the latest phase in improving facilities for mourners.

“We’ve already replaced the cremators and refurbished the chapel, but there is still work to do.

“Recent cold winters have left the surface badly rutted and beyond day-to-day repair, so we’re starting that work this week.

“We hope the work will be completed by mid-April.

“There will be no disruption to funerals, but we may have to make it pedestrian access only on some weekends – although Mothers’ Day weekend will be unaffected.”

As part of the project to resurface the potholed main drive, existing pathways will be extended to allow more use of land for graves.

The cemetery already has enough land for new graves, but new pathways are needed to allow hearses and mourners on to the ground.

Coun Little added: “Shortage of burial plots is a national problem and one that we have to avoid in Fylde.

“Our cemetery has plenty of space, but we need to plan the pathway infrastructure to open up existing land at the back.

“We already have enough space for graves to last about five years.

“Extra burial spaces at the rear will give us another 10 years’ supply if we start preparing now.

“Part of the £80,000 will be spent on drawing up plans to prepare the infrastructure for the future.”