Second potential site for Carrickfergus cemetery to be explored

An alternative to the proposed site at Trooperslane Road was highlighted to councillors behind closed doors at last month’s meeting of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee. It is understood to be located between Upper Road and the B90 road in Greenisland.

In March, councillors were advised 629 plots remained unsold in Carrick’s Victoria Cemetery with sufficient plots to accommodate burials for the next ten years. Figures showed that 71 plots were sold at Victoria Cemetery in 2022, 70 in 2021 and 61 in 2020.

Elected members have already been told historic monuments have been found on land earmarked for the new Carrick cemetery at Trooperslane Road and “significant work was to be carried out to map out exactly the extent to which the site would be suitable for burials” on the 104-acre site.

A report to council in January 2021 stated: “This work became complicated because of a number of historic monuments within the site and this required input from an archaeological expert.”

As a result of this work, it has emerged one third of the site – 36 acres – has been found to be “unsuitable for burial” due to the presence of a gas pipeline and 20 acre “buffer zone” around the water course which had been expected to reduce the purchase price by approximately £0.5m.

The committee was told in the report: “It was important to identify all those issues prior to commencing negotiations with the landowner as this significantly reduces the value of the land.”

Councillors were also told 14 acres of land at the Trooperslane Road site had been tested previously by the legacy Newtownabbey Borough Council. No problems were reported at this section.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is also seeking a site for future burial provision. There are no new burial plots available at Carnmoney Cemetery in Newtownabbey with committals only possible in existing family-owned plots.

The potential to “work in partnership” with other local authorities to identify a site is being explored.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter