Written Question·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·UIN 99424

Cemeteries

Tabled: 11 December 2025
Answered: 5 January 2026
Named Day

Question

Helen Maguire

Liberal DemocratEpsom and Ewell

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect historic pauper burial sites from (a) private development and (b) inappropriate land use.

Answer

Matthew Pennycook
Burial grounds can be considered as open space, which is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as all open space of public value. There are strong safeguards set out in the NPPF to ensure the continued protection of existing open space....

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