Valerie Presents Petition to Parliament Opposing Aldridge Road Cemetery Plans

On Tuesday 26 March 2013, Valerie presented a petition of more than 1,200 signatures to Parliament on the planning application for the development of a cemetery on land south of Aldridge Road.

Valerie said:

“Many of my constituents were angered by plans submitted to Walsall MBC for the development of a private cemetery on land to the south of Aldridge Road. Fortunately, Walsall MBC refused the application on 21 February 2013. Before the application was refused a petition signed by 1,200 people, 943 of whom live in Walsall South, was collected by the ‘Residents against the Cemetery’ group.”

“A copy of the petition will be sent to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The Select Committee and DCLG will offer observations on the petition if they wish to do so. The proposed site is part of the Green Belt, close to a densely populated residential area and on one of the busiest routes in an out of Walsall.”

“The site would be a wholly inappropriate location for a cemetery. The Council took into account the relevant considerations in refusing the application. I presented the petition as residents asked me to and it will ensure that their concerns are raised if ever there is a further application.”

The transcript of the presentation is available to view from the Official Report here.