Over 200 local residents convened at a public meeting to voice their opposition against a contentious new cemetery proposed by the charitable arm of the billionaire Issa brothers' business empire. Attendees at the meeting last week at the Stanhill Social Club in Stanhill Road pledged to combat the scheme, despite it being scaled back from its original planning application which was withdrawn in January 2022 following widespread protest. The revised planning application submitted to Hyndburn Council by the Issa Foundation earlier this month reduces the size of the graveyard by half and cuts the number of plots by two-thirds.
It also relocates it to the north west edge of the site near the M65 bridge, away from any residential properties. The initial proposal on 84 acres of land off Blackburn Road on the outskirts of Oswaldtwistle included 35,000 burial plots, while the new one only has 12,250. The "standing room only meeting" was organised by local St Oswalds ward Cllr Zak Khan, his St Andrews ward Conservative colleague Cllr Steven Smithson, and the 'Stop the Cemetery' Volunteer Committee.
They unanimously agreed to oppose the proposed cemetery development on Green Belt land due to concerns ranging from environmental degradation and groundwater contamination to traffic safety, reports . Cllr Khan, who presided over the meeting, voiced his opposition: "We oppose this proposal for its lack of need, its poorly chosen location, and its potential to disrupt the beautiful rural lan.
