Hertfordshire town reopens century-old graves for new burials due to space shortage
Bishop's Stortford Town Council has been granted powers to reopen century-old graves for new burials due to a shortage of burial space. The council identified over 1,000 burial records that could be reused, with the approval of the Diocese of St Albans. Relatives of those interred have until October 2026 to object to the reuse of these plots.
- ▪Bishop's Stortford Town Council is the only authority outside London to have such powers granted by Parliament.
- ▪The council identified 1,068 burial records across more than 900 plots in the Old Cemetery for potential reuse.
- ▪Graves that have not seen burials since 1949 will be reused over several decades, with strict protocols in place to contact families.
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NewsUKHome NewsHertfordshire town reopens century-old graves for new burials due to space shortageBishop’s Stortford Town Council is reportedly the only authority outside London to be granted such powers by ParliamentWill Meakin-Durrant Tuesday 19 May 2026 10:55 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2979320","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bishop-stortford-graves-reuse-cemetery-b2979320.html","title":"Hertfordshire town reopens century-old graves for new burials due to space shortage"}}open image in…
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