WORK STARTS TODAY TO CLEAR TEDDINGTON ALLOTMENTS FOR CEMETERY EXTENSION
The allotment owners at Shacklegate Lane, Teddington, have been issued with a ‘final date to vacate’ following their campaign to save the site, which will now be extended for burial grounds in the Teddington Cemetery after 100 years.
Despite 58 objections to the council and a petition which reached over 1750 names Richmond Council voted to close the historic allotment site and has put £220.000 aside to start clear the site today (thursday) urging owners to remove all personal belongings and equipment from the site.
The campaign asked the council: “Richmond Council has set aside £220,000 to reclaim the whole of Shacklegate Lane and convert it to burial ground, with the site closing on 1 October 2026. We are not arguing against burial provision. We are asking the council to establish how much land it actually needs before it spends the money and destroys the allotments for good.”
A notice posted at the allotments gives a timeline and states that ‘site clearance and preparation for construction works’ begin today (thursday) and ‘construction of the cemetery extension’ will begin in Spring 2027.
The council has vigorously defended its controversial decision stating: “Historically, additional provision for allotments had been made at Teddington Cemetery (also known as Shacklegate Lane Allotments) in an unused part of the cemetery.
“As the community continues to grow, ensuring sufficient provision for burial sites for future generations is essential. Teddington Allotments have long been situated on land designated for burial space.
“Given the increasing demand, the council has decided to reclaim this land to address the shortage of burial spaces. It is anticipated that in under a year, there will be no additional burial spaces
available.
“To address the burial space shortage, the plan is to reclaim the land and invest in the creation of 734 additional burial spaces by fully developing both sections of the allotments. This will ensure the provision of burial spaces for the next 30 years.”
