A village churchyard that has been full since 2009 can now be extended.
Planning permission for the expansion at Chipperfield was granted by Dacorum Borough Council’s development control committee on Thursday. It means that land next door to St Paul’s Churchyard will be cleared of trees to make way for future burials.
The plan to expand was drawn up after villagers became concerned that their loved ones would have to be laid to rest at other churchyards – the nearest is six miles away and some do not have transport to get there and buses in and out of the area are infrequent.
A steering group of eight people was formed to look into the possibility of extending the churchyard and a survey revealed that 645 households were in favour of the plan, 25 were against and 21 had no opinion.
The extension approval is subject to a condition requiring the boundary treatment of the area to be submitted to the council and agreed.
The churchyard first became full in 1922 and was extended after a land donation from the Lord of the Manor.