Protection Of Cemeteries

EDM number 639 in 2010-12, proposed by John McDonnell on 26/07/2010.
Categorised under the topic of Burial and cremation.

That this House recalls the distress caused to many families at the proposal by BAA as part of its plans for a third runway at Heathrow to drive a road through Cherry Lane cemetery; notes the families' concern at the lack of legislative protection against this type of development; acknowledges that this results from a glaring contradiction in the Government's policy towards cemeteries and the issue of exhumation in which exhumations are required to be undertaken in a sensitive, cautious, respectful and caring manner, to be subject to local consultation and, if objected to, to be abandoned, whilst using all methods of notification to next-of-kin and the community; further notes that in cases of major developments affecting cemeteries, exemplified by the Cherry Lane case, a bulldozer approach is taken, allowing for the overriding of objections and the ignoring of the right to be consulted; and therefore calls on the Government to undertake a swift review of the current law in relation to the protection of cemeteries with a view to bringing forward legislation that affords cemeteries suitable protection and avoids others undergoing the distress experienced by the Cherry Lane cemetery relatives.

This motion has been signed by a total of 21 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.