Good outcome after people are consulted

Editorial Department • Published 19 Jan 2012 13:00 0 Comments

We have witnessed many public consultations in recent years, many of them launched by the various departments at the Northern Ireland Assembly but also some from other agencies which usually end up going the way of the original proposals. One particularly controversial consultation was the proposed move of the Post Office in Lisnaskea and despite hundreds of submissions against and only a small number for it, the Post Office decided on the move anyway.

So perhaps our faith is restored in the consultation system when we read that Fermanagh District Council having consulted with interested parties and the public over the sensitive rules and regulations governing graves at the Cross Cemetery, they have listened to the views.

Previously families of loved ones buried at Cross Cemetery prior to 2008 were subject to certain guidelines and restrictions which allowed an edging but not a surround. But now the Cemetery's rules and regulations are being amended to allow for edgings in all plots if requested and also to allow for families to maintain their own plots if desired.

Other changes will allow families to place flowers and wreaths with fewer restrictions.

The Council undertook a thorough consultation not only with families of loved ones buried in Cross Cemetery, but also with funeral undertakers and clergy and employees who maintain the cemetery.

There is a responsibility of not only the Council but also of families tending burial plots to leave them in a respectful condition. The Cross Cemetery elevated on a hillside is in an attractive location and with proper pathways, roads and decent car parking, is a marked improvement on the facilities found in many cemeteries.

The grieving process for many people involves regular visits to cemeteries to tend their loves ones' graves and perhaps to personalise them in some way, usually through flowers. Now families can visit Cross Cemetery in the knowledge that they can pay their respects in various ways without contravening rules.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 19 Jan 12

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