Harun Nasrullah
Plans for a new Muslim cemetery near Peterborough have been resubmitted after the proposed site was reduced by about 80 per cent following concerns over the original scheme.
Green Meadows charity has submitted a revised application for a 4.27-acre burial ground off Old Peterborough Road in Sutton, replacing its original 21-acre proposal.
Registered by Peterborough City Council on September 30, the new application includes an informal burial layout, 54 parking spaces, outdoor ablution facilities and additional tree and hedgerow planting. It removes the large ceremony building and other substantial structures proposed previously.
Green Meadows said the redesign addressed concerns raised over the original plans while providing “a dignified and accessible environment”.
The charity said there was an “urgent need” for additional Muslim burial space in Peterborough, arguing that existing provision at Eastfield Cemetery does not fully meet the religious and cultural needs of the local Muslim community.
The planning statement says burial plots would be aligned towards the Qiblah, the direction of the Ka’bah in Makkah, enabling burials to follow Islamic rites and traditions.
The application follows the withdrawal on January 22 of the original proposal, submitted in 2024. That scheme covered 8.5 hectares and included almost 8,500 burial plots, a ceremony building, extensive landscaping, footpaths and a larger car park.
Planning officers had recommended refusal, citing concerns including the scheme’s impact on the rural landscape. Parish councils in Ailsworth, Sutton and Castor also opposed it, raising concerns over its scale, traffic, loss of agricultural land and compatibility with the rural setting.
During consideration of the original application in 2025, Peterborough City Council recorded 407 public comments in support and 193 against. Opponents generally focused on the location, scale and potential impact of the development rather than the principle of providing Muslim burial facilities.
Peterborough Civic Society also objected, describing the proposal as excessive for its countryside setting and questioning its impact on agricultural land and assumptions about future burial demand.
The revised application highlights limitations in existing burial provision. It says Eastfield Cemetery operates under 75-year lease arrangements, which it argues do not accord with the religious and cultural expectations of Muslim families who traditionally regard graves as being preserved permanently.
It also cites delays in arranging burials. Islamic practice generally requires burial as soon as reasonably practicable after death, but the application says families can face delays because of burial appointment availability, particularly at weekends.
The proposed cemetery would instead provide freehold burial plots available in perpetuity, according to the application.
The planning documents also state that Fletton and Eastfield cemeteries have approximately six to nine years of general burial capacity remaining based on current demand. Green Meadows argues that dedicated Muslim provision would provide long-term capacity while reducing pressure on existing cemeteries.
The original proposal received support from the National Burial Council and 21 local imams. The council cited the “need for a dedicated Muslim burial space”, while the imams said it would help families meet Islamic burial requirements and “preserve cultural identity and strengthen community ties”.
Green Meadows said the revised cemetery would be a “calm and reflective space” open to everyone, while retaining dedicated provision for Muslim burials.
The new application remains under consideration by Peterborough City Council.
