Friends of Hebron Burialground

The Problem we are facing

The present owner wishes to develop the burial ground by (presumably) removing the dead and depositing them elsewhere, so that he can then move in the bulldozers, build some houses, and make a handsome profit.

Under the terms of the land registration the owner has to keep the burial ground “neat and tidy as an open space and allow access for visitors thereto”.

The Friends of Hebron Burialground will oppose any inappropriate development and desecration of the site and wishes to see the restrictive covenants complied with. They are willing to manage the burial ground on behalf of the owner and hope to pursue the setting up of a Charitable Trust as alternative ownership of the burial ground in order to secure its long-term future.

In south Bristol there are many disused and derelict properties crying out for development - we feel that if the owner of the burialground wishes to profit from development he should concentrate his energies there. People buried here and their relatives could never have anticipated that the bodies and the burial ground would be removed (remember the last burial took place less than 40 years ago), in the name of greed and profit.

Quite apart from the historical interest of the site, is any surviving relative likely to give permission to remove bodies? Will the Home Office give its approval and permission? It seems unlikely that Bristol City Council would give planning permission for the owner’s proposals in a Conservation Area and adjacent to a listed building.

Members of the Friends and others have already spent a great deal of time, and money, in opposing development of the burial ground, but we feel the fight to save it is only just beginning.