FARNHAM Town Council’s, Cemeteries and Appeals Working Group put forward a number of recommendations for amendments to the rules and regulations of Farnham’s cemeteries, including a designated area for planting to prevent problems in the future.

It was proposed that purchasers of graves will be permitted to plant the area of the grave to a maximum of 18 inches from the head of the grave and will be responsible for its upkeep.

The cutting back or removal of any plants, tree or other vegetation and/or undergrowth beyond the ground immediately above any particular grave is not permitted unless the prior written permission of the town clerk or an authorised member of council staff has been obtained.

Councillor Carole Cockburn told members that over the years residents have been allowed a lot of freedom in the cemetery and it is now getting to the stage where maintenance is almost impossible:

She said: “We have had various tours and discussions about the state of our cemeteries. People have put tiny shrubs in and are planting huge great trees. Basically what we are trying to do is rationalise the use of the cemeteries.

“We want to give people places to plant, we aren’t saying there will be no planting but we are saying there will be organised planting.

“We have various parts of the cemetery where there are kerbs even if we don’t want kerbs. We decided that it may be an idea to have one cemetery that permits kerbs and the obvious cemetery to do that is Badshot Lea [as kerb surrounds were particularly prominent in Badshot Lea due to its size and historical layout].”

Therefore it was recommended that the regulations are amended to permit kerb surrounds in Badshot Lea Cemetery from April 1, 2016; that the style and design of kerbed memorial be subject to the previously adopted NAMM (The National Association Of Memorial Masons) specification guide; and there be an additional fee for a permit memorial for kerbs of £300.

Those grave owners who purchased graves prior to adoption of the new regulation, will be offered the opportunity to apply for a kerb surround for a fee of £150.

Mrs Cockburn added: “There is some guidance to what they should be. We are trying to keep to a high quality and specification as to size and materials. The additional fee is because this is in addition to what people have already got.

“We are looking at more ways of offering more services and we are looking at ways of improving the service. We will have that meeting and report back.”