Perth and Kinross Council is working to address a shortage of burial plots.
Several local cemeteries are now closed to new lairs resulting in residents being buried in a different town or village from where they lived all their lives.
A senior Bereavement Services officer was recently invited along to a meeting of the Kinross-shire Local Committee at the request of Milnathort and Orwell Community Council.
Milnathort is one of three Kinross-shire cemeteries which is now closed for new lairs alongside Glendevon and Portmoak. And Kinross North Cemetery in is nearing capacity.
The population in Kinross-shire has exploded in recent years due to housebuilding and it is growing across the whole Perth and Kinross region. According to the National Records of Scotland, the population of Perth and Kinross rose by 14 per cent between 2001 and 2021.
It is also an ageing population. By 2028 the number of people aged 75 and over in Perth and Kinross is expected to have increased by almost 31 per cent in 10 years.
PKC's senior Bereavement Services officer William Greig provided an update on PKC's Cemetery Strategy at a meeting of the Kinross-shire Local Committee on Thursday, May 25.
The committee was told around 1200 cremations took place at Perth Crematorium each year. There are 151 burial grounds in Perth and Kinross with around 326 burials taking place each year.
Mr Greig told the committee a number of cemeteries had "closed" recently due to them being full.
He said: "I do know there has been a wee bit of upset in the communities because people who have been long resident in these areas are unable to get buried in these cemeteries."
Mr Greig added: "We have closed 22 previously due to capacity over the last 20-30 years and that's going to continue to happen as things progress; hence this new strategy."
He told the committee Kinross-shire was one of the areas "under pressure".
The council is currently looking for new sites for cemeteries aiming for 100-year capacity.
There are eight proposed areas for larger cemeteries: Perth, Carse of Gowrie, Kinross-shire, Strathearn (north), Strathearn (south), Highland Perthshire (north), Highland Perthshire (south) and Eastern area.
Four sites in Kinross-shire have been identified for further investigation but several factors have to be considered. These include: landowner permission, SEPA regulations, strict regulations on water tables and water ways, public transport links and the site being in an "attractive tranquil setting".
One site has currently been identified as meeting the criteria and is equadistant from Milnathort and Kinross. It will be considered throughout the next local development plan review process (LDP3) with any other sites that might come forward.
Suitable ground can be difficult to find as local authorities must compete with house builders, industrial use and farmers to obtain land.
Mr Greig said: "On occasion we received no response to our request to enter their grounds to carry out test digs - point blank refusal due to tenant farmers on 99-year leases.
"Compulsory purchase is a viable option but can be very expensive and time consuming."
This week a Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson confirmed the council was working to deal with areas identified as a priority for burial space and measures included buying back lairs.
The council’s current cemetery provision strategy was approved in 2016 and since then PKC has taken a number of measures to resolve capacity issues within its cemeteries.
A PKC spokesperson said: "Perth and Kinross Council has a working group where a number of council services are working together to deal with the areas identified as a priority for burials space. When a cemetery is considered closed, it does not mean it is closed to the public and they will still be able to visit the graves of loved ones.
"We have been buying back unused lairs where families are happy to sell them back to the council. A number of lairs owners sold lairs back to the council, but most wanted to retain the lairs. Signage is displayed in cemeteries or on the gates for 12 months informing visitors of the initiative if any family would like to get in touch."
Based on an eight-year average there are 326 burials in Perth and Kinross each year. In 2020 - at the height of the pandemic and when social distancing measures were in place - the number of burials increased to 355. In 2021 there were 319 burials and 331 in 2022.
