Cemetery

FEES & CHARGES as from 1 April 2008	RESIDENTS OF BLANDFORD FORUM[1]	NON-RESIDENTS OF BLANDFORD FORUM
INTERMENTS
Still born child or up to 28 days	No charge	No charge
Child up to 16 years	£74.00	£148.00
Child up to 16 years cremated remains (half a grave space)	£74.00	£148.00
Adult	£93.00	£185.00
Adult Cremated Remains (half a grave space)	£93.00	£185.00
PURCHASED GRAVES IN ROTATION[2]
A single grave (Adult or Child)	£172.00	£343.00
Double depth grave (must be purchased)	£278.00	£555.00
Exclusive right of burial of cremated remains in an earthen grave (half a grave space)	£112.00	£223.00
PURCHASED GRAVES ON A SELECTED SITE
A single grave (Adult or Child)	£333.00	£665.00
Double depth grave (must be purchased)	£553.00	£1,106.00
Exclusive right of burial of cremated remains in an earthen grave (half a grave space)	£222.00	£443.00
MONUMENTS[3]
Head Stone with first inscription	£84.00	£167.00
Second Inscription on Existing Headstone	£23.00	£46.00
Memorial book etc	£84.00	£167.00
Flush Stone Base (not to exceed half a grave space)	£35.00	£69.00
Flatstone (flush to ground)	£45.00	£90.00
Fixed vase or memorial tablet with flush stone base	£57.00 (per item)	£113.00 (per item)
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Search of Burial Records[4]	£13.00 + VAT
Administration Charges	£20.00 + VAT
Overtime for Saturday Interments	£23.00
Use of Cemetery Chapel	£84.00 + VAT

[1] 1. Must have been resident in Blandford Forum for the last 5 years (with the exception of children under 5 years of age).

[2] 2. In view of the reduced land availability, the exclusive rights of burial in a purchased grave space will expire on 1 Jan 2104. T This will mean that the 99 yr right will gradually reduce to 50 yrs, and it is currently at 96 yrs.

[3]3. For the right to erect or place (monuments may only be erected on purchased graves).

Kerbstones, replacement kerbstones or fencing are prohibited. All monuments must be approved by the Town Clerk.

[4] 4. This is a minimum charge. The Town Clerk will agree a charge for a detailed search.

Unattended children, together with such activities as ball games, riding bicycles and playing radios, are prohibited and dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.

The cemetery will be open for pedestrian access at all times. The Council reserves the right to make such closures as may be necessary for repairs, emergencies or in the interests of public safety at any time.

The Town Council holds a register of all burials. Searches may be made but a charge will apply.

The hours of interment will be between 10.00 am and 3.30 pm Monday to Friday. No interment will normally take place at weekends or public holidays although Saturday interments will be permitted in special circumstances. Due consideration will be given to religious requirements which may require alteration to the foregoing.

No interment shall take place and no cremated human remains shall be scattered without permission of the Town Council. Notice of interment must be given at least 2 working days prior to any interment to the Town Clerk of Blandford Forum Town Council. The notification must be made on the form provided by the Town Council.

The exclusive right of burial in a grave space may be purchased for a period until 1 Jan 2104 at the appropriate fee (of 97 years). Thereafter the exclusive right of burial will be granted for a period of 50 years.

A renewal of the exclusive right of burial shall be permitted for a further period of 50 years with regard to any purchased grave. The application to renew should be made within 25 years prior to the expiry of the initial period. Any grave space, for which exclusive right of burial has not been purchased, may be purchased by a member of the family there buried on the terms mentioned in the list of fees. The exclusive right of burial will be granted for 97 years minus the number of years the person has been buried for.

No tombstone or other memorial shall be placed in the Cemetery, and no additional inscription shall be made on any memorial without permission of the Town Council. Applications must be made on the form provided by the Town Council.

Memorials must be installed in accordance with the current National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) Guidelines.

Memorials are only permitted on graves where the exclusive right of burial has been purchased. The appropriate application form should be submitted to the Town Clerk with a plan showing the proposal. Kerbstones and fencing is strictly prohibited, and replacement kerbstones will no longer be permitted. If the request is considered to be unsuitable it will be referred to the appropriate Blandford Forum Town Council Committee.

The right to erect and maintain a memorial on a grave will be granted for a period of 30 years. This period can be extended following a satisfactory inspection of the memorial. The Council may authorise removal of memorials from private graves where the right of burial period has expired or if the memorial has not been maintained.

It is the responsibility of the owner* to maintain his/her memorial in a good state of repair. In the event of any such memorial becoming dangerous, defective or illegible, the Town Council may, in accordance with the powers and procedures set out in Article 16(2) and Schedule 3 of the Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977, give notice to the owner* requiring him/her to repair or remove any such memorial. If, after the expiration of the notice, the owner* has failed to repair or remove any such defective or dangerous memorial, or if the Council is unable to trace the owner* after taking such reasonable steps as it may consider necessary for that purpose, then the Council will take appropriate action to make safe and tidy.

It is the responsibility of the owner* to inform the Town Council of any change of address in order that contact can be maintained. Failure to do so may result in the Town Council removing a memorial if it fails a health and safety inspection.

Floral tributes will be removed when dead or unsightly at the discretion of the Grounds and Properties Manager. Artificial flowers are permitted but must be removed when faded. Graves will be tidied at the discretion of the Grounds and Properties Manager.

No tree or shrub shall be planted in or removed from the Cemetery without the approval of the Town Council. Applications for authority to plant or remove trees or shrubs should be submitted to the Town Clerk of Blandford Forum Town Council.

The Council reserves the right to prune, cut down or remove any shrubs, plants or trees at any time when, in the opinion of the Council, they have become unsightly or overgrown.

No seat or bench shall be placed in the Cemetery without the permission of the Town Council. Applications for authority to locate a seat or bench should be submitted to the Town Clerk of Blandford Forum Town Council.

To comply with health and safety regulations, seats may be placed in the Cemetery within designated areas and must not be moved without the permission of the Town Council.

All fees and charges must be paid to the Town Clerk of Blandford Forum Town Council at the time of giving notice of the interment/erection of memorial etc. Cheques should be made payable to Blandford Forum Town Council.

Human remains shall not be removed except by the Exhumation Order from the Department of the Environment or other appropriate Statutory Authority.

The Town Council cannot be held responsible for any damage to any memorial or any personal property taken into the Cemetery. The Town Council will not be liable for damage to any memorial in the Cemetery caused by storm, wind, subsidence or by any other cause.

If any damage is caused to the Council’s land or premises by bringing in any materials, gravestones, or monument or from any other cause, the person or persons doing such damage will be held responsible for the same and the Council may recover the cost of repairing such damage from such person or persons and in addition take proceedings under Article 18 of the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977.

The Town Council reserves the right to make alterations to the foregoing subject to due notice.