By Joe McCann
WOODEN memorials, such as crosses could soon be marking graves in public graveyards in Ards and North Down in a Northern Ireland first for cemeteries.
Councillors on the Environment committee voted unanimously to reject the advice of their own officials and allow relatives to erect wooden crosses to mark graves at council-owned cemeteries in the borough.
If the decision is approved by a full council meeting at the end of this month, it will be the first time in Northern Ireland that a local authority has given the go-ahead for wooden crosses instead of traditional stone headstones.
The issue of wooden crosses first came before the Environment Committee in November last year when Alderman Robert Adair proposed allowing the break with tradition. Officials were tasked with bringing back a special report which was tabled at last week’s latest meeting of the committee.
The officials’ report did not back wooden crosses, claiming they would ‘introduce visual inconsistency, not in keeping with the aesthetics of the cemetery layout’. It also claimed that wood would be more prone to wear and tear and vandalism.
However, the report was rejected by Mr Adair who said crosses should be approved provided they have a concrete base and meet health and safety requirements.
“I know many people in the area I represent visit the cemetery on a daily basis,” he said. “The headstone or memorial, whatever it may be, is personal to them and their family. Some people erect wooden crosses for religious reasons.
“I think we should be respectful of religion and people’s faith and people’s wishes,” he added.
DUP councillor Nigel Edmund said he could not see a reason why the rules could not be changed and stated: “If you want a certain type of memorial, as long as it’s dignified and in keeping with what graveyards are, I don’t see a problem with that.”
UUP councillor Pete Wray said there was unanimous support from elected members behind this sentiment and rubbished the officer’s findings that a wooden memorial would be more vulnerable to vandalism.
He said: “I’m sorry, but if somebody is going to vandalise a grave, they’re going to vandalise a grave. So I have difficulties with that. I can’t see anywhere in the report that there is a logical reason to not do this.”
Mr Wray continued and said: “I do take the point that we’re going against policy, but surely as elected members, our role is to listen to what the people say and to act on their behalf and if their will is against the policy, then we come into a chamber like this and suggest that we change the policy.”
Independent councillor Tom Brady said there was no reason the council couldn’t allow some flexibility on the matter.
“I really don’t like the idea of piling more stress on grieving families during what is already a really difficult time,” he said. “I lost my father about six years ago and if I was told by the council, ‘sorry, you’re not allowed to do that’, I would have been furious. I think we need to show a bit of flexibility here.”
Alderman Naomi Armstrong-Cotter stated that councillors are elected to represent constituents and said the regulations could be amended to allow wooden crosses to be erected.
Mr Adair’s amendment was passed and will now go to full council for debate.
