CYNGOR CYMUNED DINAS POWYS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

ST. ANDREW’S CEMETERY

INFORMATION AND REGULATIONS

The Cemetery is a place for peace and reflection. It is also a workplace. We ask all users of the Cemetery to respect the needs of others and to follow these guidelines.

For Visitors:

The Cemetery is always open to visitors up until dusk via the side gate. No person is permitted to be in the Cemetery after dusk.

Bicycles and vehicles are not normally permitted beyond the Cemetery gates.

All visitors are asked to keep to the footpaths when attending a grave and generally respect the Cemetery at all times. In particular, visitors are requested not to pull or cut shrubs or flowers growing within the Cemetery or to interfere with any grave or memorial.

Dogs must be kept on a short leash at all times, and a visitor in control of a dog must remove any waste from the Cemetery.

So as to reflect the needs of others, visitors are asked not to wilfully create any disturbance in the Cemetery or behave in any way that may be a nuisance to others. In particular, the playing of games and sports is not permitted. Mobile telephones, walkmans and similar equipment may not be used in the Cemetery in order to avoid disturbance to others. The Council reserves the right to exclude any person from the Cemetery.

Children under the age of 10 are not normally permitted in the Cemetery unless they are under the care of a responsible person.

Visitors with disabilities or other special requirements should contact the Clerk who will be pleased to assist.

Looking After Graves:

Grave spaces must be kept in a neat and tidy condition and any litter should be removed from the site. Any flower holders must be of non-breakable material and left at the owner’s risk. In the interest of public safety, no glass, ceramic vases or other ornaments should be placed on any grave. The Clerk may remove any articles from any grave which he considers may be dangerous or unsightly in any way or which are likely to cause risk of damage or injury.

Only headstone memorials are allowed and the headstones are to be set in straight lines.

No vases, railings, kerbs or other artefacts will be permitted except in an area up to 22cm (9 inches) from the headstone.

Requests to place a bench in the Cemetery must be through the Clerk to the Community Council.

In all cases, dead flowers and other rubbish must be placed in the waste bins provided. No stones or soil must be placed in these bins.

Contact Details:

If you need to contact us, the office of the Clerk is located at the front of the Parish Hall and is open each working day Monday to Friday from 09.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Or you can write to The Clerk, Dinas Powys Community Council, Council Office, Parish Hall, Britway Road, Dinas Powys, CF64 4AF. Telephone: (029) 2051 3114 or e-mail: theclerk@dinaspowys.org.

A current Register of Burials and plans of the Cemetery are kept by the Clerk at his office. Searches in the Register, or on the plan, may be made during office hours.

Complaints:

All complaints regarding the Cemetery should be made at the Clerk’s office.

REGULATIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CEMETERY

Notice of burial is to be given to the Clerk to the Council on forms provided for that purpose, at least five clear days before the intended burial, or if in a vault or walled grave, then at least 7 clear days notice – in each case exclusive of Sunday – emergencies excepted.

The Certificate of the Death of the person to be buried, or the Corner’s Certificate (when an inquest has been held), must be delivered to the Clerk to the Council or to the person officiating at such burial (Funeral Directors).

All fees and charges are to be paid to the Clerk to the Council at the time the notice is given.

1. Selection and Ownership of Graves:

1.1 A grave will not be opened without the owner’s consent in writing.

1.2 The purchasers of graves or vaults shall not dispose of their rights, to relations by blood or marriage, without the consent of the Council, and every transfer shall be made by the Council at the expense of the applicant.

1.3 On the transfer of ownership of a grave or vault (owing to death or otherwise) such transfer must be registered, and the deed produced for endorsement before the grave or vault can be reopened or the memorial repaired, etc.

1.4 Any person claiming to be the owner of a grave will be given a certificate of ownership on production of satisfactory evidence of title and payment of the appropriate fee.

1.5 Where no interment has taken place in a pre-purchased grave, the Council may agree to re-purchase the burial rights.

1.6 Brick graves and vaults shall be opened from the top, unless the ground required for entrance was purchased.

1.7 Burials at St. Andrew’s Cemetery are restricted to residents of Dinas Powys. Close relations by blood or marriage are subject to the consent of the Community Council.

2. Grave Spaces:

2.1 The brickwork or masonry in any grave or vault must comply with the regulations of the Community Council.

2.2 Any person causing damage by bringing in of any materials or monuments will be required to meet the cost of any repair.

2.3 Special conditions apply to existing walled graves and vaults – please consult the Clerk.

3. Types of Graves:

3.1 Exclusive rights of burial in a grave shall be leased for a period of one hundred years from the date of interment.

3.2 All graves in the new part of the Cemetery are designated lawn – to facilitate maintenance.

3.3 No kerbs, border stones, fencing, shrubs, rose bushes or any other obstructions are allowed on the surface of the grave.

4. Regulations Regarding Memorials:

4.1 Only headstone memorials are allowed and the headstones are to be set in straight lines.

4.2 Memorials are to be constructed of marble, granite, Portland stone or similar maters which shall be supplied and erected by a recognised firm of monumental masons who will be responsible for completing the necessary application forms, drawings and payment of fees.

4.3 Each headstone must be engraved with the number of the grave.

4.4 Owners of grave deeds or persons exercising title of such deeds shall be responsible for the continuous maintenance of any memorial erected on the grave space and shall, if it becomes dangerous or dilapidated, cause it to be restored to pristine condition or arrange for its removal from the Cemetery grounds upon receipt of official notification from the Community Council.

4.5 Responsibility for the removal of a memorial, from the Cemetery, to facilitate further interments lies solely with the owner of the grave deeds or person exercising title of such deeds and they are responsible for arranging its reinstatement on the grave space within 9 months of the date of such interments, or arranging with the Community Council for its removal from the Cemetery grounds.

4.6 A temporary wooden cross may be erected until ground conditions permit the erection of a permanent memorial. The Clerk will be pleased to advise on appropriate styles.

4.7 The Community Council may remove any memorial where work has not been authorised. This may be at the owner’s expense.

4.8 Memorial masons should satisfy themselves at to the stability of the soil or footings and its ability to support a memorial before the memorial is erected.

4.9 All memorials placed in the Burial Ground are at the risk of the owner and the Council will not be responsible for any damage.

4.10 Any contractor working in the Cemetery must maintain a policy of public liability insurance minimum of 5 million pounds against all claims and actions.

4.11 All contractors must use the main paths in the Cemetery; any damage which is caused must be repaired at the Contractor’s expense.