Southwark Lib Dems have called for a public re-consultation over plans to develop green spaces in Camberwell Old and New Cemeteries into new burial plots.
Group leader Anood Al-Samerai will table the motion at the upcoming Southwark Council meeting on July 8, where she will question “the validity of Southwark Council’s 2011 consultation process and the lack of financial detail around their proposals. “
They claim that the 2011 consultation “focused on Honor Oak Recreation Ground, not the disputed woodland in Old and New Cemeteries, and the majority of respondents were Lewisham residents.”
At the meeting, Save Southwark Woods campaigners will present the council with a petition of over 8,000 people, who object to the plans to knock down trees to make space for thousands of new burial plots.
Cllr Darren Merrill, Southwark Cabinet Member for Environment and the Public Realm, said: “There has been a full public consultation on cemeteries which the Lib Dems failed to engage in, yet they are now backing a campaign to stop people burying their loved ones locally.
“The simple fact is that if the council takes no action, burial space in Southwark will run out in 2017. We have engaged extensively with London Wildlife Trust and the local community, to ensure that the plans for managing the cemeteries improve biodiversity and create quality open space for local people, as well a respectful place for the deceased.”