Being able to offer “walk to” locally oriented natural burial at Epona is dependent on Dartmoor National Park authority granting us permission to expand the use of the area of land we are applying for (around half an acre within the 24 acres of Epona) to be dual use, agricultural and natural burial.
Though the primary concern for the National Park is whether we fall within their policies (from what we understand we do), letters of support from the community are also taken into consideration, so can really help.
Current status:
We submitted our application on the 10th December and as of the 8th January we are told it has been validated (due to staff shortages at the national park – their grant/budget has not increased for quite a number of years now, the process of “validation” of applications, can take time), so now we have an application number which can be used as reference for letters of support: 0013/25. Comments need to be submitted via the planning portal which is easy to register to, link here:
UPDATE: So far as we understand comments for this application are now closed. The team has been heartened by the comments received, thank you.
Below are some points we feel are particularly relevant to the application, so you can weave some of these in alongside whatever else you want to say,. (Photo montage of Week Down Cross, Pete Montanez)
Here is a link that takes you direct to the application:
https://dartmoor-online.tascomi.com/planning/index.html?fa=getApplication&id=162669 (you may have to cut and past this link into your browser). The application reference is: 0013/25
The principle of the proposals is supported by Strategic Policy 4.2 ‘Supporting public open space and sports facilities’ which addresses cemeteries. “protecting the existing provision and supporting the development of new facilities where there is an identified need.”
There is an identified need, not only is Chagford Church Burial ground almost full, but also Dartmoor National Park, Chagford Parish Council and West Devon Borough Council have each signed declarations acknowledging this time of climate and ecological emergency (Dartmoor in 2019 being the first national park to do so).
Local Natural burial is far more environmentally friendly than cremation, feeding the soil versus polluting the air, yet one of the reasons people chose cremation is a sense that there is a lack of space to be buried in. Natural burial can take place in existing farm land with agriculture and woodland practices continuing. so is a win on both counts. Farm diversification policy also supports the proposal.
Epona Natural Burial as a locally oriented “walk to” site, will lead to reduced need to travel (DNP transport policy 4.3.4). The site is conveniently situated on the lane that leads directly from St Michael’s church and the main (Jubilee Hall) village car park and also has several footpaths leading from different parts of the village and local lanes up to it, and a map of these will be made easily available.
There has been a long tradition of walking and carrying the dead on Dartmoor: One of the earliest actual written records from people living on the moor is a petition from the people of Pizwell and Babeny to the Bishop of Exeter, asking if they could be permitted to carry their dead to Widecombe rather than Lydford, a much shorter distance, particularly in winter, so people were mindful of energy expenditure even then.
And so it is today, in these times of climate and ecological emergency, with our church yards filling up, we petition the authorities and say, please can we carry our dead to be buried locally rather than have to drive and take them outside of the park for natural burial, or even further, all the way to Exeter, if for cremation.
The existing stile for the footpath next to the cattle grid on the lane is inadequate, both safety wise and practically. The application will greatly enhance and ease access to this footpath, tying in with DNP’s wish to improve access and more “miles without stiles.
https://dartmoor-online.tascomi.com/registration/index.html/ , once registered, you can then sign in and make comments.