Issa brothers try again with scaled-back Green Belt cemetery
A better reaction from the community is hoped for after the billionaires’ charity, the Issa Foundation, chopped the proposed gravesite from 84 to 45 acres and slashed the number of plots from 35,000 to 12,250.
The Issa Foundation had withdrawn its application in 2022 to build an all-faith burial site on Green Belt off Blackburn Road in Oswaldtwistle.
The project had earned the ire of local campaigners – one group of whom had raised £15,000 to oppose the scheme. It had also been recommended for refusal by Hyndburn Council’s planning officers.
Now, more than two years later, another set of plans has been lodged.
It looks likely to face the same fierce reception as before, with Hyndburn Cllr Zak Khan posting on Facebook that the application was “immoral and shameful”, adding that “we don’t want it, we don’t’ need it”.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, a spokesperson for the Issa Foundation said: “The Issa Foundation believes that this memorial garden will not only meet the needs of those seeking a peaceful final resting place for their loved ones but will also serve as a beautiful green space for the wider community.”
The planning application has not yet been validated on Hyndburn Council’s planning portal. The previous application’s project team included Atticus Planning and Archi-Structure.
Once it’s up and running they will apply to extend it to the size of their original plans.
By Anonymous
It’s not needed because increasingly people and their families are wanting their ashes to just be scattered in some location without any gravestone which means these type of burial grounds are becoming redundant.
By Barbara Smith