BLANDFORD CEMETERY

Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum DT11 7LR

BLANDFORD CEMETERY REGULATIONS

  The dignity and calm of the cemetery should be respected at all times.

 Opening Hours  

1. The cemetery is open for pedestrian access at all times. Blandford Forum Town Council (the Town 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.

2. Children under 16 are not admitted unless visiting a grave. No dogs (except guide dogs) or horses (except with a cortège) are permitted in the cemetery.

3. Any person(s) wilfully destroying, damaging or defacing any property of the Town Council or any memorial will be prosecuted as will anyone playing games or sport, discharging firearms (excluding a military funeral), committing a nuisance or disturbing others attending a funeral/grave.

 Interments and Exclusive Right of Burial  

4. The hours of interment will be between 10.00 am and 3.00 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.

5. No interment shall take place 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. The notification must be made on the official form provided by the Town Council.

6. Ashes may not be scattered but must be interred in an earthen grave and contained in a biodegradable casket.  An application for interment must be made to the Town Clerk.

7. The Exclusive Right of Burial must be purchased and issued before an interment takes place or a memorial can be erected.

8. The Exclusive Right of Burial in a grave space will be for a period until 1 January 2104 at the appropriate fee. From 1 January 2054 the exclusive right of burial will be granted for a period of 50 years.

9. 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 until 2104 minus the number of years the person has been buried for. From 1 January 2054 the exclusive right of burial will be granted for a period of 50 years.

10. The Exclusive Right of Burial may be transferred to immediate family members when the original Certificate owner dies or relinquishes ownership. Applications must be made to the Town Clerk and a small administrative fee will be charged. It is the responsibility of the owner* to inform the Town Council of any change of address in order that contact can be maintained.

Memorials, Floral Tributes, Trees and Shrubs  

11. No memorial shall be placed in the Cemetery, and no alteration/additional inscription shall be made on any memorial without the permission of the Town Council. Applications must be made on the official form provided by the Town Council with a plan showing the proposal.  If the request is considered to be unsuitable it will be referred to the appropriate Town Council Committee.

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

13. 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 Town 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.  

14. It is the responsibility of the owner* to maintain the memorial in a good state of repair. In the event of any such memorial becoming dangerous, or dilapidated, the Town Council will give notice to the owner* requesting the repair or removal of any such memorial. Failure to do so may result in the Town Council removing a memorial if it fails a health and safety inspection. If the Town Council is unable to trace the owner* after taking such reasonable steps as it may consider necessary for that purpose, then the Town Council will take appropriate action to make it safe and tidy.

15. Railings or fencing enclosing a plot of any kind are not permitted. No structures of any kind (other than an authorised memorial) are permitted on the plot.

16. Nothing may be affixed to, or laid upon, any grave or monument such as lighting, ornamentation, images, models or paintings. Unauthorised items will be removed by the Town Council and held for 60 days before disposing of them.

17. Following an interment, fresh or artificial flowers, either as wreaths or in flower pots (no glass containers may be placed on the plot) should be removed after fourteen days by either the family or Town Council staff.

18. Flowers should only be placed in containers integral to the memorial or for graves only, placed on the memorial base or for cremation plots, placed on the memorial. Flowers and/or containers must not be placed along the plot as this prevents grass maintenance. Any flowers and/or containers placed incorrectly will be removed by the Town Council. Glass containers are not allowed as they shatter easily and constitute a danger to the public and maintenance workers.

19. Floral tributes will be removed when dead or unsightly at the discretion of the Town Council’s Grounds and Property Manager.

20. No tree or shrub shall be planted in, or removed from, the Cemetery. The Town 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.

Seats, Benches and Ornamentation  

21. No seat, bench or ornamentation can be placed in the Cemetery without the permission of the Town Council. Applications for permission to locate a seat or bench should be submitted to the Town Clerk.

Removal of Remains  

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

Fees and Charges  

23. All fees and charges must be paid to the 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’.

24. The Town Council is able to carry out searches of burial records and graves by appointment (charges may apply). To make an appointment please contact the Town Clerk’s Office, using the details below.

Disclaimer  

25. 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.

26. If any damage is caused to the Town 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 Town 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.

27. These Regulations have been approved by Blandford Forum Town Council, which reserves the right to make alterations/additions as appropriate.

   * - owner/purchaser/heirs or successors