Update on potential development of former burial site

Bridgend County Borough Council has reiterated its position regarding the potential sale and development of a privately owned plot of land in the village of Coity.

Ongoing media coverage of the sale and subsequent discussion across social media has prompted a number of queries to the local council.

The 1.3 acre plot, which is being advertised as having residential development potential, is understood to have been used as a burial ground for deceased patients of the former Parc Hospital. As the hospital has since been demolished and replaced by HMP Parc, the plot now lies adjacent to the prison and existing local housing.

We have previously clarified that the site is not included within the draft Local Development Plan, and has no specific allocation as regards how it can be used. Any future application for housing in the countryside would be opposed in principle by this authority on the basis that part of the site lies outside of the defined settlement boundary, and additional traffic generated by a residential development could have a negative impact.

We have recently seen questions concerning what may happen with the bodies of people who are buried at the site. While the council does not own the land and would not have any involvement in this process, it is certainly true that the plot’s status as a burial ground would be a significant constraint upon any potential development.

The Ministry of Justice maintains strict guidelines on circumstances under which bodies can be exhumed. A landowner wishing to do so would require exhumation licences from the ministry, and would possibly need to apply for a bishop’s faculty if the ground was consecrated. Any further clarification around this issue will need to be provided directly by the ministry.

Councillor Stuart Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Communities