A FORMER graveyard could be set for a makeover if plans are given the green light.
New Street burial ground is maintained by Warwick District Council on a minimal basis but has been looked after by a group of volunteers called Arc for the past year,
And now the team are hoping to make even more improvements by landscaping the ground.
They have submitted proposals to the Diocesan Advisory Committee, which covers church plans, and will decide whether they can proceed.
Volunteers say since they have been carrying out their weekly gardening sessions there has been a noticeable difference in the area.
Project Manager Kristie Naimo said: “We’ve removed lots of rubbish, dog mess and needles now there’s an active group looking after the site.”
Arc want to improve the ground by planting wildlife-friendly plants, installing information signs and a winding pathway to encourage the public to enter and enjoy the space.
They say they recognise the old cemetery is still sacred burial ground so are conscious of making their work sympathetic.
The original graveyard opened in 1838, when the Parish Church was deemed to be too full. An inspection in 1850 declared the site to have ‘too many corpses’ although it conceded they were ‘arranged in an orderly manner’.
It stopped being used in 1850, by which time more than 2,000 people had been buried there.
Visit arccic.co.uk to find out more about the work at the New Street site.
