St Peter’s Church in Onchan is ’one really bad winter’ away from running out graveyard space.

But the Department of Infrastructure won’t release the land the church wants.

'Unfortunately, people die,’ said team rector Reverend Canon

Clive Burgess. ’All it needs is one really bad winter and we will have a problem.’

He said many people wanted to buried within the community in which they lived and they had that right under the Burial Act.

The growth of Onchan into a population of nearly 10,000 meant up to 70 funerals a year, of which up to 20 might be burials in St Peter’s, he said. Last week, Tynwald heard there was space for fewer than 30 burials at the church.

St Peter’s wants land on Blackberry Lane, on the opposite side to the football pitches, that belongs to the DoI.

Mr Burgess said they had tried talking to the DoI, estate agents and the commissioners to resolve the situation.

He added: ’It is sad. All these conversations have been had before, over the last four years, with different (infrastructure) ministers. It feels like we are setting off again.’

There was a reluctance to find land far from St Peter’s, when it was believed there was a solution nearby.

’It is important for the people of Onchan to feel valued by the Burial Authority. The church community wants to do the best by them.’

It was not just a simple case of finding a parcel of land, he added. It had to be somewhere with adequate access and parking.

Rob Callister (Onchan) raised the matter in Tynwald.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said: ’While the department does own land adjacent to Onchan, this is currently viewed as a strategic land holding to be retained for possible future use by government to meet the wider social and economic needs of the community, which could be health or for the elderly. As such the land identified will not be made available for burial land.’

The consultation taking place for the Eastern Area Plan, to cover development policies in the area, gave ’the opportunity to highlight the implications of not being able to provide burial land in Onchan in the future’.

He said responsibility to find a site lay with Onchan Burial Authority - which had £93,000 in general reserves and was setting aside £250,000 to buy new land.

Mr Callister told the Examiner he was trying to arrange a meeting between the church and government.