Issa Foundation cemetery reaction: “It’s not wanted, needed or will be accepted in Oswaldtwistle!”

Residents have shown their opposition to plans to build a new cemetery between Oswaldtwistle and Blackburn proposed by the Issa Foundation.

Last week, a public consultation was held in Oswaldtwistle Social Club where residents showed opposition to the Issa Foundation’s plans to build a new cemetery in Oswaldtwistle.

You can read more about the cemetery plans here.

The meeting, which was led by Councillor Zak Khan, saw more than 200 residents attend and raise their concerns about the impact on safety on Blackburn Road, wildlife and green belt land.

During the meeting, two representatives of the Issa Foundation showed up unexpectedly as they wished to hear people’s concerns so that they may be addressed in a proposed planning application.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone.

Cllr Khan said: “One resident during a discussion pointed out the fact that they were still in the room and everyone began to shout at them. They then went outside. The plans just do not serve the needs of our community.

“We as a community are willing to buy that land so if the Issa Foundation want to have a conversation about purchasing the land, we are all ears.”

The Issa Foundation had previously held their own event on Thursday, March 7 which announced amendments made to their plans in response to a number of concerns from members of the public.

These amendments saw the Foundation reduce its initial request for 35,000 burial plots in the area, spanning 84 acres to 13,500 burial plots covering 18.5 hectares.

A spokesperson for the Issa Foundation said: “Our key objective is to engage constructively with the community and other stakeholders. Public consultation events like on Thursday, March 7 are a positive example of this approach and we were pleased with the turn out.

“We have drafted our plans following extensive engagement and we will continue to do so as we are keen to hear from as many individual perspectives as possible.

Sign up for our free newsletters now

However, Cllr Khan and other residents have said this reduction doesn’t change anything and has put local people through years of ‘hassle and anxiety’.

There is also plenty of public resistance to the plans on social media through petition and online forums as well as Facebook groups.

Gary Walker, an Oswaldtwistle resident who has voiced his opposition to the plans on Facebook, said:  “They need to accept that the land is simply not suitable for building of any kind, never mind a cemetery. 

“It is not wanted, not needed and won't be accepted under any circumstances. 

“I hope that anyone who cares about our green spaces will put their politics to one side and get behind the campaign to resist the efforts of this 'charitable' foundation to force something on Ossy that will not benefit a single one of us, in fact quite the opposite. 

Hyndburn resident, Andy Richards said: “This absolutely must not happen, the green fields must be preserved as there's precious little land for nature to thrive. 

“What little there is must be protected, not given up to a corporation due to collapse under the weight of its debt.” 

Paul Ryan, member of an Oswaldtwistle Facebook group, said: "Hyndburn has enough burial capacity for 90 year we don’t need our last bit of green belt spoiling with something we don’t need"

Cllr Khan says he is working with residents to sign a petition including the people who originally opposed the plans when they were first released in 2021.