Context
Friars Lane Cemetery in Hadleigh, Suffolk, was opened in 1845 and extended in the 1970s. The site is to the west of the town in a largely unbuilt area. The land rises from the valley of the River Brett in a continuous incline, climbing the hill in an area known as Friars Hill.
Requirement
The Council, being aware of the life expectancy of the current cemetery, investigated in 2011 the possibility of purchasing adjacent land for a new cemetery extension. When the land was purchased, designers and engineers were employed produce a design that satisfied their needs.
Work undertaken
To enable the land to be transformed into their requirements, the entire field needed remodelling which involved the movement of over 5000m³ of soils some of which was used to fill some of the site, whilst the remainder had to be disposed of off site.
Tests carried out on the soils before work commenced confirmed that the soil was mostly sand based and could be disposed of for reuse thus reducing costs to the client.
With the field graded, the necessary infrastructure of a swale and piped drainage system terminating in a 4m deep soakaway could be installed, as well as the car park with kerbing and sleeper retaining wall.
A full circuit road system was installed with tarmac surface.
Finally the shaped topsoil was cultivated and seeded before the entire site was fenced to prevent public access from the wrong location and to stop rabbits accessing the cemetery.
Context
Friars Lane Cemetery in Hadleigh, Suffolk, was opened in 1845 and extended in the 1970s. The site is to the west of the town in a largely unbuilt area. The land rises from the valley of the River Brett in a continuous incline, climbing the hill in an area known as Friars Hill.
Requirement
The Council, being aware of the life expectancy of the current cemetery, investigated in 2011 the possibility of purchasing adjacent land for a new cemetery extension. When the land was purchased, designers and engineers were employed produce a design that satisfied their needs.
Work undertaken
To enable the land to be transformed into their requirements, the entire field needed remodelling which involved the movement of over 5000m³ of soils some of which was used to fill some of the site, whilst the remainder had to be disposed of off site.
Tests carried out on the soils before work commenced confirmed that the soil was mostly sand based and could be disposed of for reuse thus reducing costs to the client.
With the field graded, the necessary infrastructure of a swale and piped drainage system terminating in a 4m deep soakaway could be installed, as well as the car park with kerbing and sleeper retaining wall.
A full circuit road system was installed with tarmac surface.
Finally the shaped topsoil was cultivated and seeded before the entire site was fenced to prevent public access from the wrong location and to stop rabbits accessing the cemetery.