Council Sanctions Golf Course Area for Burial Plots Due to Shortage

A local authority has stated that transforming a golf course into a burial ground is the only viable option to resolve a lack of interment plots. The cabinet of Bracknell Forest Council formally approved the utilization of the pitch and putt section at Downshire Golf Complex for the expansion of Easthampstead Park Crematorium and Cemetery. The council cautioned that without this expansion, residents would be unable to inter their deceased family members within the borough’s boundaries by mid-2025. However, an opponent of the plan described the area as “a vital resource for the local community”. This controversial proposal had drawn hundreds of objections from individuals who use the golf facility. Martyn Osment commented that the removal of the pitch and putt area “would be a significant blow to recreational options in our area”. The two-hectare parcel of land is projected to yield a total of 1,173 full burial plots, in addition to 150 Muslim burial plots and 1,168 plots for cremated remains. The council indicated that “multiple alternative facilities” are located four to five miles distant, specifically naming Wokingham Family Golf, Golfplex, Lavender Park, and Billingbear Park. Damien James, the assistant director of contract services for the council, stated that other prospective locations were “either unviable or not in the council’s ownership, which would mean purchasing additional land, making it uneconomic”. Paul Bidwell, who serves as the cabinet member for economy and regeneration, acknowledged that the plans were “emotional” but asserted that they “don’t really have any alternative”. Mary Temperton, the leader of the council, remarked: “It isn’t just for the dead…it is for the living relatives, a place where you go and feel near.”