Sutton Bridge could have a new cemetery within two years, ending fears that parishioners will have to be buried in Spalding if the churchyard runs out of grave spaces.
The parish council is poised to buy a field on Bridge Road, on the outskirts of the village, and seek planning consent for a cemetery and toilets for families visiting the site.
Earlier this year there was a warning at the annual parish meeting that people from the village might have to be buried elsewhere unless the parish council found a burial ground quickly.
The council had hoped to put a burial ground on land owned by Scott’s Miracle-Gro, but heard in October 2012 that the company was refusing to sell.
At Tuesday’s parish council meeting, Coun Vicky Hills revealed test graves had been dug at the new site and soil analysis had been carried out – both of which were successful – and the project could go ahead.
The Rev David Oxtoby told the Free Press: “I think this is fantastic news for the village because I am very acutely aware of the sense of community here.
“I am hugely relieved to know that we have secured a space for those who want to lay their loved ones to rest within the community boundaries and families will have a place where they can go to offer their respects.”
Mr Oxtoby says churchyard spaces should last for one-and-a-half years – although there’s flexibility to add more by using currently disused pathways – and he hopes for a seamless transition between the old and new burial grounds.
He says the new cemetery will be ready in “two years at the outside”, but it could be as early as spring 2015.