An official sod cutting event has taken place to mark the beginning of works at a new municipal cemetery in County L'Derry.

Full planning permission was granted for the development of the site, which is located on the outskirts of Derry city on the Mullenan Road, in September 2024, and the company behind the delivery of the £3.73m contract is E Quinn Civils Ltd, from Pomeroy, County Tyrone.

Ground works are now on site and it is anticipated that the first phase of the development of the overall site will take approximately a year to complete.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Barr, accompanied council officials, and representatives of the contractor and design team at the sod cutting for the development earlier this week.

-- Advertisement --

The site will provide 3,500 new burial plots as well as a memorial garden, administration building, public toilets, storage buildings and parking.

As well as main access to the site from Mullenan Road, the cemetery will be linked to the city via a new footway to Balloughry Road, which will facilitate a pedestrian and cycling connection to the greenway stretch know as 'The Line', subject to land acquisition.

Much work has gone into selecting and assessing a suitable location for the new cemetery as space at the city cemetery nears full capacity. It is envisaged that the new cemetery will facilitate up to 20 years burial capacity with the potential for further expansion on to adjoining lands.

The overall cemetery facility will be developed on a phased basis with a view to the first interments taking place at the conclusion of the first phase of development, but the plans can accommodate burials sooner than this if required.