Protest to be held outside Bray Town Council meeting as Springfield Cemetery Committee push Forward Motion

A protest will be held outside the monthly meeting of Bray Town Council on Tuesday 3rd Septemember at 6.45pm. The protest has been organised by the Springfield cemetery committee which was set up to protect their loved ones graves in Springfield, this followed an announcement Bray Town Council that for 1st September the council would remove flowers ornaments and other mementos from the graves and revert the cemetery to a lawn cemetery. A motion will also be tabled on the evening on behalf of the committee.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said "As the deadline set by Bray Town Council of September has passed for family members to remove flowers, ornaments, mementos and other items they may have on their loved ones graves, the council meeting may be the last opportunity the public may have to get their public representatives to listen and act on their behalf. The committee have organised a public protest too coincide with the tabling of a motion that i plan on putting forward on their behalf. The protest will assemble at 6.45pm at the old Town Hall Building."

Cllr Brady Continued "I believe that the motion the committee has brought forward is compromise that should be acceptable to all the council members. This motion is a sincere proposal to try end this terrible situation that has been ongoing now for the last three months and has left a large number of families hurt and heartbroken. The committee has already submitted a petition to the council containing over two thousand signatures asking the council not to impose an old lawn cemetery policy on grieving families that were unaware of its existence."

Cllr Brady concluded "Members of the community want to work with the council to improve Springfield cemetery and this motion provides the council with a template to harness that community spirit and to work with people. I am strongly urging the public to come along to the protest on Tuesday, i also urge all the public representatives to give the motion careful consideration and work towards improving the cemetery for everyone."  

The Springfield Cemetery motion that will be tabled at the council meeting reads as follows: 

The existing lawn policy of Bray Town Council has never been fully implemented since the cemetery opened in 1982. In the early years the families who buried their loved ones in the cemetery were informed of the council lawn policy; however this has not been the case over the last 13 years. This has resulted in a large number of families planting flowers and leaving ornaments and other mementos on the graves. We believe it would be very incentive and hurtful to try imposing the lawn only policy on these families after such a lengthy period. The council in cooperation with the community will set up a Springfield Cemetery Committee. This committee will consist of Council Officials, Cemetery staff, and family members who have loved ones buried in the cemetery. This committee will draft a master plan for the cemetery to oversee the installation of an Angels Plot and Urn Wall along with the upgrading and maintenance of the cemetery to the highest of standards. Funding for these projects will be identified and ring-fenced.        

From 1st September the council will rigidly enforce the lawn policy for all new burials. Any existing graves that have flowers etc. on them will not be interfered with so long as they are maintained to an acceptable level. If the maintenance drops below an agreed standard set by the Cemetery Committee the council or agents working on behalf of the council will be permitted to turn the grave to a lawn in consultation with the Cemetery Committee.