Welsh Development Agency Act 1975

Valid from 01/10/1998

F1 Use and development of consecrated land and burial grounds E+W+S

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 4 inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 127, Sch. 13 para. 3 (with ss. 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4.

F2 7 (1) Any consecrated land (whether or not including a building) which has been acquired by the Agency under section 21A above may be used by any person in any manner in accordance with planning permission in spite of any obligation or restriction imposed under ecclesiastical law or otherwise in respect of consecrated land.

(2) Sub-paragraph (1) above does not apply to land which consists or forms part of a burial ground.

(3) Any use of consecrated land authorised by sub-paragraph (1) above, and the use of any land (not being consecrated land) which was—

(a) acquired by the Agency under section 21A above; and

(b) at the time of acquisition included a church or other building used or formerly used for religious worship or the site of such a building,

shall be subject to compliance with the requirements of regulations made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this paragraph with respect to the removal and re-interment of any human remains and the disposal of monuments and fixtures and furnishings.

(4) Any use of consecrated land authorised by sub-paragraph (1) above shall be subject to such provisions as may be prescribed by such regulations for prohibiting or restricting the use of the land, either absolutely or until the prescribed consent has been obtained, so long as any church or other building used or formerly used for religious worship, or any part of such a building, remains on the land.

(5) Any regulations made for the purposes of this paragraph—

(a) shall contain such provisions as appear to the Secretary of State to be required for securing that any use of land which is subject to compliance with the regulations is, as nearly as may be, subject to the same control as is imposed by law in the case of a similar use authorised by an enactment not contained in this Act or by a Measure or as it would be proper to impose on a disposal of the land in question otherwise than in pursuance of an enactment or Measure;

(b) shall contain such requirements relating to the disposal of any such land as is mentioned in sub-paragraphs (3) and (4) above as appear to the Secretary of State necessary for securing that the provisions of those sub-paragraphs are complied with in relation to the use of the land; and

(c) may contain such incidental and consequential provisions (including provision as to the closing of registers) as appear to the Secretary of State to be appropriate for the purposes of the regulations.

(6) Any land consisting of a burial ground, or part of a burial ground, which has been acquired as mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) above may be used by any person in any manner in accordance with planning permission in spite of—

(a) anything in any enactment relating to burial grounds; or

(b) any obligation or restriction imposed under ecclesiastical law or otherwise in respect of burial grounds.

(7) Sub-paragraph (6) above shall not have effect in relation to any land which has been used for the burial of the dead until the requirements prescribed by regulations made under this paragraph with respect to the removal and re-interment of human remains, and the disposal of monuments, in or on the land have been complied with.

(8) Provision shall be made by any regulations made for the purposes of this paragraph—

(a) for requiring the persons in whom the land is vested to publish notice of their intention to carry out the removal and re-interment of any human remains or the disposal of any monuments;

(b) for enabling the personal representatives or relatives of any deceased person themselves to undertake the removal and re-interment of the remains of the deceased, and the disposal of any monument commemorating the deceased, and for requiring the persons in whom the land is vested to defray the expenses of such removal, re-interment and disposal, not exceeding such amount as may be prescribed; and

(c) for requiring compliance with such reasonable conditions (if any) as may be imposed in the case of consecrated land, by the bishop of the diocese, with respect to the manner of removal, and the place and manner of re-interment, of any human remains and the disposal of any monuments and with any directions given in any case by the Secretary of State with respect to the removal and re-interment of any human remains.

(9) Subject to the provisions of regulations made under this paragraph, no faculty shall be required for the removal and re-interment in accordance with the regulations of any human remains or for the removal or disposal of any monuments; and the provisions of section 25 of the M1 Burial Act 1857 (prohibition of removal of human remains without the licence of the Secretary of State except in certain cases) shall not apply to a removal carried out in accordance with the regulations.

(10) Nothing in this paragraph authorises any act or omission on the part of any person which is actionable at the suit of any person on any ground other than contravention of any such obligation, restriction or enactment as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) or (6) above.

(11) In this paragraph—

• “burial ground” includes any churchyard, cemetery or other ground, whether consecrated or not, which has at any time been set apart for the purposes of interment; and

• “monument” includes a tombstone or other memorial.

Textual Amendments

F2 Sch. 4 inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 127, Sch. 13 para. 3 (with ss. 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4.

Marginal Citations

M1 1857 c. 81.