Burial ground plan for park?

A PIECE of land in Wraxall, where travellers set up camp this summer, could be used as a community burial ground.Nailsea Town Council has written to North Somerset crematorium bosses asking them to look into the possibility of using the land behind The Elms - currently a park area - as a cemetery for the town.The move follows years of fruitless searching by the town council to find a new burial site for Nailsea.The land at the rear of The Elms, which is next to a children's play area, is currently owned by North Somerset Council.Nailsea Town Council clerk Ian Morrell said: "What we need is an agreement in principal from North Somerset about the use of the land so we can move on with getting a geological survey done."This piece of land does fit a number of the requirements needed for a burial ground."It is accessible, near a bus route and is in the right environment for such a facility."But it is the fact that the land is owned by North Somerset Council which is a major factor of its suitability."However whether this land is right for such a purpose will ultimately be decided by a geological survey."The town council has spent years on looking at alternative sites including ones at Engine Lane and Whitesfield Road, both of which have proved unsuitable.Currently the town council is also having talks with charity Brunelcare which owns a two-and-a-half acre plot at the junction of Bucklands Batch and Trendlewood Way.The council is asking the charity to consider selling it some of the land to use as a burial ground.North Somerset Council spokesman Nick Yates said: "We have carried out an initial visit."The land is designated at the moment as public open space and we are going to be speaking to our planners to see if it would be possible to use it as a burial ground.