Plan to prevent council paying inflated land prices rejected

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A proposal aimed at preventing the council from paying inflated prices for land to extend cemeteries has been rejected by a scrutiny committee.

The proposal – to change Compulsory Purchase Order rules to reduce the cost of buying land for cemetery expansion from private landowners – was voted down by Flintshire County Council’s  Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Flintshire People’s Voice Cllr Alasdair Ibbotson said Flintshire was disadvantaged when seeking land to expand cemeteries as landowners knew the council’s options were limited – allowing them to potentially inflate their price.

“The main motivation for this proposal is the concern that when it comes to cemetery expansion, neighbouring landowners effectively have the council over a barrel which inevitably leads to the council paying over inflated prices,” said Cllr Ibbotson.

“We potentially wind up in situation where landowner wants an inflated price for land and we have no choice, we either have to pay or seek to use less appropriate land anyway.”

The council’s official policy is to provide burial provision in or as close to current cemetery locations as possible – a rule which limits its options to expand existing sites.

Where cemeteries are bordered by private land, the council has to attempt to negotiate the purchase of that from the landowner.

“I submitted this proposal two years ago because Hawarden Cemetery is almost full,” said fellow FPV Cllr Sam Swash. “There is a strong desire from residents in my ward to one day be buried in that cemetery.

“When a landowner knows the council owns a cemetery that’s full they will recognise the opportunity to charge a premium for that land given the difficulties the council will have finding other land or moving elsewhere.

“Given it’s such an important asset, for the council to be able to expand them without being ripped off is important.”

Over the last 25 years only one cemetery has been extended using acquisition of private land – Hope Bryn y Grog Cemetery in 2020.

But as more cemeteries fill up, the authority needs to consider how it can increase capacity.

Compulsory Purchase Orders – where the council forces through the purchase of the land – do currently offer a solution but they are lengthy, costly and the land price is based on the ‘hope’ value – the value of the land were it to be developed.

Cllr Ibbotson said his alternative would save the authority money.

“I think it would be appropriate for the council to have power of compulsory purchase at ‘current usage value’,” he said.

“That would avoid being in this position.  I propose a recommendation that the chair of this committee write to UK Government setting out belief that the council should have power of compulsory purchase at current usage value, which is lower than the ‘hope’ value.

“This would be a tool to encourage landowners to come to an agrreement with council rather than wait it out.”

His recommendation was defeated in a vote as councillors opted to maintain the current status quo for cemetery extensions in Flintshire.