Planning approval granted for new Fethard cemetery with 997 burial plots

Planning permission was approved at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s monthly meeting for a new 997 plot cemetery in Fethard that will include columbarium walls for cremated remains.

Carrick-on-Suir MD councillors unanimously voted in favour of granting the Part 8 planning permission for the town’s new lawn cemetery at the meeting in Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall last Thursday.

The cemetery will be located on a 2.4 acres site at Killenaule Road, Fethard, which is north of the existing Calvary Cemetery and east of the R689 road.

According to the planning application, the cemetery will be multi-denominational. It will be developed in three phases and will include columbarium walls for storing cremated remains and a 33-space car park.

Senior Council Planner Ann Marie Devaney said the council’s Planning Department had no issues with the proposed cemetery development including in relation to hydrology and flooding.

The only requirement was in terms of monitoring the site's archaeology in relation to the presence of any remains or architectural heritage.

She also reported the council didn’t receive any submissions from the public during the public consultation phase of the planning application process.

Ms Devaney said the Council recommended the application be approved as proposed.

The four councillors present at the meeting all voted in favour of approving the planning application.

Independent Cllr Kevin O’Meara from Mullinahone commended council officials for all the work they had done in the background on this cemetery project.

He noted the process takes years from identifying the land, testing and purchasing the lands to securing planning approval