Stoke-on-Trent cemetery to expand for further 1,489 graves

The Carmountside cemetery in Stoke-on-Trent will be expanded to provide the necessary space for a further 1,489 graves. 

According to the local council’s cabinet, it has recommended spending £850k on the site expansion – with additional finance costs of £47k a year. The additional finance will come from the council’s capital programme. 

The decision to expand the cemetery comes as a critical need for the area, as a council report stated the expansion is “a critical need” for the area to future-proof grave provision. 

There are nine cemeteries in Stoke-on-Trent, three of which – Longton Trentham and Smallthorne – have reached capacity and cannot allow any more plots. 

In addition, the expansion of the cemetery on Leek Road would also facilitate the completion of a drainage system. 

The remaining land for new graves in the city’s cemeteries was becoming exhausted, the report stated, but Carmountside continued to offer virgin ground suitable for full body burial.

The authority anticipates that providing additional grave space at Carmountside will generate £5.5m over 30 to 50 years.