A controversial plan to expand a cemetery in South Bristol onto a neighbouring farm could be scrapped this week. But the move would cost Bristol City Council almost £1 million in lost income from burial fees, sparking concern about a lack of cash to maintain its graveyards.
South Bristol Cemetery is the only council-run graveyard in the city with space left for new burials. The council owns the adjacent farmland, which is leased to Yew Tree Farm, celebrated for its work in protecting the environment and fostering a wide range of habitats and species.
The decision will be taken by councillors on the public health and communities policy committee on Friday, October 11. They will be asked to choose whether to continue the plan as before, scrap the expansion, or to expand the cemetery, but by less than was originally planned.
Ahead of the meeting, Green Councillor Abdul Malik, who sits on the committee, said: “As a Green Party councillor, and someone who has spent decades working closely with the mosque and deeply involved in Bristol’s burial processes, the issue of burial space has both a professional and personal resonance for me.
“It is a profound responsibility — ensuring that all our residents have a dignified final resting place, while also safeguarding the natural world that surrounds us. At the heart of this complex issue is South Bristol Cemetery, which has served as a place of memory and connection for families for over 40 years.
“It holds irreplaceable meaning for many, particularly for those in our Muslim community who have long struggled to secure dignified, accessible burial sites. It’s a story too often overlooked but all too familiar to families who have had to lay loved ones to rest under less than ideal conditions due to waterlogged lands and limited available space.”
The plan to expand the cemetery was approved by the former Labour cabinet in January this year, and given planning permission last November. Ecologists, environmental campaigners and councillors criticised the plan, fearing the potentially disastrous effect on Yew Tree Farm. Catherine Withers, who runs the farm, warned the expansion could spell the end of her business.
Many supporters of the farm initially thought that the Greens winning the local elections in May could save the farm. Then in July, leaked emails showed that council bosses had been instructed to continue the work expanding the cemetery. Amid confusion, Greens promised to pause the work, pending a vote by councillors on the cross-party public health committee.
A report to the committee sets out the three options. A compromise would provide a smaller expansion, with enough burial plots for a decade, but a new pond to prevent flooding would be created inside the Site of Nature Conservation Interest. This would help protect the Muslim area of the cemetery that has long suffered from flooded graves.
Cllr Malik added: “The proposed limited expansion of South Bristol Cemetery respects both the environmental significance of the SNCI and the community’s demand for burial spaces. It’s a step forward, a decision that embodies compassion and responsibility without forsaking our commitment to environmental stewardship.
“Protecting our natural habitats, especially amid an ecological crisis, is paramount. However, so too is our duty to ensure a dignified resting place for all who call Bristol home.
“We do not have the resources to establish a new cemetery even if a suitable alternative were identified. Moreover, responsibility remains for maintaining South Bristol Cemetery regardless, and halting expansion would exacerbate financial shortfalls, drawing funds away from already vital areas, such as parks.”
There are just over 200 plots left for new coffins at the cemetery, enough to last until the middle of 2026. Many councils across the country face similar problems with graveyards running out of space, and the Law Commission is now consulting the public on plans to reuse old burial plots.
According to the committee report, six sites in the north of the city were explored as potential new graveyards, but their locations were not given. These were deemed unsuitable due to their “high community and nature value” and “soil and drainage issues” — although both of these problems also affect expanding South Bristol Cemetery onto Yew Tree Farm.
Meanwhile, ample and under-used space exists in and around the city, currently used for golf. The niche sport takes up a lot of land for just a few players and has a negative impact on the environment, but it’s unclear if the council has considered repurposing golf courses as burial space.
The two main problems facing the council are legal and financial. If the council provides a service to the public, it has a duty to consider if groups with protected characteristics, such as religions, would be negatively affected. Some faith groups do not allow cremations. And without the extra burial spaces, the council stands to lose £876,000 from lost income.
The committee report says: “Should the provision of new burial sites cease, the council would still have to maintain the current cemeteries but lose the income to offset the costs to maintain them. At present the costs of maintaining the city’s cemeteries are offset by the income from providing burial services.”
Continuing the expansion as planned would provide 1,550 standard coffin burial plots, while the reduced option would provide 870. Scrapping the expansion would mean residents needing to find burial ground outside of Bristol after the remaining plots are used up in a couple of years.