TIME is running out for Crow country residents to find a new cemetery site with a council deadline on the horizon.

North Herts District Council previously reviewed cemetery space in the town and found that Royston only had enough room for 10 years more burials.

To preserve space the authority will restrict services to the burial of ashes unless there is a previous family plot arrangement.

From January 1 next year all municipal services will be held at Wilbury Hills Cemetery, Letchworth GC, and the council is calling for business and other organisations to run local burial sites.

And they have until that date to identify an additional cemetery.

“Obviously this has been an extremely difficult decision to make, and therefore cabinet has agreed to delay the implementation to allow time for other interested organisations to investigate the possibility of finding land and running their own cemeteries,” said Cllr Peter Burt, portfolio holder for environment.

“If there is a realistic prospect of new capacity becoming available that provides a longer-term solution then we will re-examine our policy accordingly.

“Any future provision would need to be provided at no cost to the council but we would be happy to provide technical advice for any organisation wishing to develop a business plan.”

Royston town council has set up a working group that has identified potential sites which could be used.

Town councillor Robert Smith, a member of the working party, said he could not identify where they were because the information was commercially sensitive.

“We’re still working through the options of all cemetery sites,” he said.

“We have looked at sites and we’re talking to different people at the moment but we can’t reveal where they are because they are commercially sensitive.

“We’re working through a list of sites.”