Peterhead cemetery to be expanded in £200,000 project

A north-east cemetery is to be expanded.

Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed the £200,000 works will be carried out at the Grange Cemetery in Peterhead.

It has been ordered to deal with the shortfall in cemetery space across the region.

Work will be completed before the cemetery reaches capacity, which is expected to be in 2028.

Plans involve the construction of roads, paths, drainage, memorial foundations, fencing and landscaping.

The total cost for the deal is £202,643 and was awarded to Peterhead firm GJ Services.

Aberdeenshire cemeteries expand

The Grange Cemetery upgrade follows a pattern of cemetery expansions across Aberdeenshire to meet the shortage.

Cruden Bay cemetery was recently expanded to include 1,700 more burial lairs.

In July, Arbuthnott Church cemetery is also earmarked for an upgrade to create around 900 extra burial spaces.

In 2019, a new 2,734 grave cemetery was approved in Turriff.

‘Families will be reassured’

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said: “I’m delighted Aberdeenshire Council has awarded a contract to allow building work to start on extending Grange Cemetery.

“Grange is a place that families in Peterhead attend on a regular basis to be close to those who have sadly passed away.

“These proposals will help to resolve a growing shortage of space in the town and I commend the council for its work.

“This extension will give families reassurance that they will be able to lay loved ones to rest locally in the years to come.”