Cemeteries Strategy
Overview
The future of burials in Kensington and Chelsea Council’s cemeteries
Kensington and Chelsea Council owns and manages two cemeteries, and both are outside the borough. Hanwell Cemetery was completed in 1855 and is located off the Uxbridge Road in Hanwell. Gunnersbury Cemetery, founded in 1929, is adjacent to Gunnersbury Park which boarders Acton, Chiswick and Brentford. Between them, these cemeteries have approximately 24,000 grave plots, but we are running out of space for new burials. We need your help to create a strategy for the future burial needs of Kensington and Chelsea’s residents.
What are the options for new burial space?
Shortage of burial space is an issue for many cities, including London and we have looked into what other cemetery providers have done to create more capacity.
Methods used elsewhere include:
- Reusing older graves, either by occupying unused space or burying existing remains deeper in the grave to create more space.
- Creating new grave space by adding soil (mounding) over older graves to create new burial space above.
Why can’t we create a new cemetery?
Finding suitable space for a new cemetery within London is exceptionally difficult, as there are many competing demands for any available land, such as for housing, leisure, retail and business. There are also very specific requirements for land to be suitable for burial, making it even more difficult to find an available and suitable site. This is therefore not a realistic option.
What happens if we can’t create new burial space?
If we cannot find a solution, we will stop accepting new burials when there are no more grave plots left, and this could happen within the next couple of years. Current grave owners would still be able to use remaining space in their purchased plots, but no new grave plots would be available to be purchased. Residents would of course be able to purchase grave plots at other cemeteries within and around London, however this would likely be much more expensive, as this Council offers discounted rates for residents. Additionally, income from cemeteries goes towards the cost of maintaining them, so any future loss of income from burial fees would also put pressure on the Council’s finances.
Why your views matter
We appreciate that this is a very sensitive issue and before any decision is made we want to hear your views. This is the very first stage of consultation, and if there is in principle support for grave reuse, more site-specific consultation will take place.
If you require further assistance in another language or a paper copy of this survey please contact parksprojects@rbkc.gov.uk .
We are also offering some drop-in sessions for you to find out more or ask questions to our Parks Team. Dates and locations are listed at the bottom of this page.
Give us your views
This activity will open on 28 Apr 2025. Please come back on or after this date to give us your views.Events
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Chelsea Theatre, Bar and Roof Terrace, No. 7, World's End Place, London SW10 0DR
From 12 May 2025 at 17:30 to 12 May 2025 at 19:00 -
Holland Park Ecology Centre, Holland Park, Ilchester Place, W8 6LU
From 15 May 2025 at 17:30 to 15 May 2025 at 19:00 -
Gunnersbury Cemetery Chapel, 143 Gunnersbury Ave, London W3 8LE
From 17 May 2025 at 10:00 to 17 May 2025 at 11:30 -
Kensington Leisure Centre, Meeting Room, Silchester Rd, London W10 6EX
From 19 May 2025 at 17:30 to 19 May 2025 at 19:00
Areas
- All Areas
Interests
- Parks
- Consultations
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