PLANS for a new cemetery in a suburb of Limerick City have been granted permission by the local authority.
This comes despite objections from locals in the area that such a new place of rest for the deceased may lead to rampant drug-taking, bare-knuckle boxing, partying, public sex, and stabbings on the site.
Eugene Harrington had applied to Limerick City and County Council to create a new burial ground at the former pitch and putt course in Monaleen, which will contain space for over 3,000 burial plots.
As part of the plans, the new cemetery would also see Columbarium walls, which are structures to inter the ashes of people who have been cremated, incorporated into the new burial ground.
The plots will be delivered on a phased basis, with the first phase delivering 1,048 burial plots, the second phase delivering 850 plots, while phase three will deliver a further 1,437 plots for the deceased.
As part of the plans, there will also be vehicular and pedestrian access, 62 car parking spaces, and six bicycle stands.
There will also be a reception plaza with a single storey building to include a staff welfare room and toilet facilities, while there will be extensive new landscaping, a reflection pool, and rain gardens in the new burial ground.
Planners from Limerick City and County Council granted permission for the development subject to 11 conditions.
Conditions handed down by the Council include limitations on hours that work can be done on the site during development, that at least 10 per cent of car parking spaces be equipped with electric vehicle chargers, and that all surface water run-off from the site be disposed of appropriately.
The application was subject to eight objections from local residents with concerns about the graveyard’s proximity to their homes, the potential impact of formaldehyde on the soil, and anti-social behaviour.
One objection claimed that drugs, bare-knuckle boxing, public sex, stabbings, and partying were commonly associated with graveyards, with the objector suggesting that the development would make his home valueless.
