Families and Friends Survey on Southwark Council burial policy to dig up the dead.

91% of respondents are against it

See survey results of first 100 responses here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-J6QJNGSP/

SURVEY FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE LOVED ONES BURIED SOUTHWARK

In 2012 Southwark Council adopted a burial policy based on digging up graves for resale – without consulting families.

THE SURVEY IS CLOSED AS OF 14 October 2018.

91% of respondents are against digging up the dead.

Comments from family members so far include

“council should hang their head in shame due to the lack of respect of generations gone by”

“It would be awful if this happened my mother has now died and she is in Brenchley Gardens with my nan and grandad I would be so upset if this happened because it’s history”

“My daughter died over 50 years ago and I would be heart broken if her resting place was disturbed”

“Disgusted that it has come this !!!!!”

In June 2012, Southwark Council agreed a burial policy to mound over or dig up every old grave for re-sale as ‘new’ burial plots over the dead.

This means environmental and social destruction – cutting down acres of woods and destroying thousands of graves and memorials – including making ‘new’ burial areas over dozens of WW1 and WW2 Commonwealth War Graves.

Two acres of woods have already been cut down in Camberwell Old Cemetery, a Grade 1 SINC on Metropolitan Open Land. Next, ten more acres of beautiful inner London woods are to be cleared to dig up the dead for resale.

Southwark has never consulted families – any consultation now will be a phoney whitewash.

Southwark has also refused to guarantee no graves will ever be dug up for resale in Nunhead Cemetery either.

We and local group Respect Our Ancestors are trying to track down people with family or friends buried in Southwark’s cemeteries to let them know what Southwark is planning behind their backs.

Sign the 38 Degrees petition and ask to be on our email list.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-southwark-woods

Families and Friends Survey on Southwark Council burial policy to dig up the dead - 91% of respondents are against

Family survey 1

area D1 war graves

Families and Friends Survey on Southwark Council burial policy to dig up the dead

Family survey 2

Southwark is in the midst of the largest grave exclamation and reuse program in Britain. This is Area Z in the Old Cemetery where 48 war graves are buried.

area z war graves

ABOVE: Southwark is in the midst of the largest grave exclamation and reuse program in Britain. This is Area Z in the Old Cemetery where 48 war graves are buried.

diggers at war graves plot

Above: Diggers above war graves in Camberwell Old Cemetery.