GENERAL INFORMATION
1. The following regulations have been designed and formulated for the control and use of Waseley Hills Crematorium.
2. All correspondence should be addressed to:
Waseley Hills Crematorium and Memorial Garden
New Inns Lane
Rubery
Birmingham
B45 9TS
Email: waseleyhills@westerleighgroup.co.uk
3. Crematorium Opening Times:
| Office |
9am - 5pm Monday - Friday |
| Gardens |
Weekdays April - September, 9am - 6pm
Weekdays October - March, 9am - 5pm
Weekends and Public Holidays, 10am - 4pm |
4. Children. Those below 15 years of age, will not be permitted to enter the memorial gardens unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
5. Dogs are permitted in the grounds but must be on a lead.
6. Vehicles. Cars are allowed in the crematorium grounds but drivers shall not exceed the speed limit of 5 mph. Cars must only be driven on the main carriageways. On no account may cars be driven on footpaths, grass areas or planted areas. All vehicles must be parked neatly to allow access to other vehicles.
7. The crematorium company shall not be held responsible for the safe keeping of any wreaths, flowers, plants or any other objects placed in the crematorium grounds nor any damage caused to memorials and monuments by high winds or storms, or other factors outside their control. An incident book is kept at the office for recording thefts of any type and the police will be informed of more serious crimes and if a high incidence of thefts occurs.
8. All persons shall conduct themselves in a decent, quiet and orderly manner. The General Manager is empowered to take such action as he/she may consider appropriate against any person who may:
- Commit any nuisance in the crematorium.
- Wilfully create any disturbance in the crematorium.
- Wilfully interfere with any burial taking place
- Wilfully interfere with any grave or memorial or any plants, flowers or other such objects in the crematorium grounds.
- Play at any game or sport in the crematorium grounds.
9. Visitors to the crematorium shall not unreasonably interrupt any employee at their duties or employ them to execute private works within the crematorium or extend to them any gratuity. All enquiries, complaints and requests by members of the public must be made to the crematorium office and not to workmen in the crematorium grounds.
10. No person not being an officer or servant of the Crematorium, or another person so authorised by or on behalf of the Crematorium Company shall enter or remain in the crematorium grounds at an hour when it is closed to the public.
11. The taking of commercial photographs and filming is not permitted in the crematorium grounds except with the prior approval and permission of the manager in writing and upon payment of the appropriate fee. Photographs of individual memorials by approval with the owner are allowed.
12. No person shall operate any sound equipment or play any musical instrument in the crematorium grounds without the prior consent of the manager. This should not discourage people from singing at the graveside or playing a favourite song quietly with the acknowledgement of the manager.
13. The Crematorium Company reserves the right to close the crematorium grounds on any day should it be considered that circumstances so warrant.
14. The sale of goods, services, plants or other articles, the soliciting of orders or repair of memorials or for work connected with graves is strictly prohibited within the grounds of the crematorium. All such services and requests should be met by the crematorium office.
15. No employee of the Crematorium Company are allowed to undertake privately; any work or favour of any kind nor receive any gratuity for the said work of favour.
16. The placing of stone paving slabs, timber, metal or plastic fencing etc around and leading to a memorial plot is strictly prohibited and shall be removed without prior notice on the grounds of health and safety and to satisfy the insurance underwriter of the company.
17. Any plants, vases or any other item placed outside the memorial plot shall be removed without prior notice.
18. The planting and maintenance of the grave is the responsibility of the plot owner and the company does not undertake any work unless a separate agreement has been made with the crematorium company and the appropriate fee paid.
19. All persons entering into the crematorium grounds shall conform to all respects with the crematorium regulations and shall be subject to the orders of the manager and staff who have full power to exclude from the crematorium grounds any member of the public whom may be deemed fit to exclude. Should it be necessary to use physical force to remove a subject the Police shall be summoned.
20. These rules and regulations shall be final.
21. The crematorium company reserves the right to make any alterations and additions to the rules and regulations of the crematorium at any time it feels fit.
22. Rubbish must be placed in the receptacles provided for this purpose. No household rubbish must be left in the crematorium or dumped.
23. The crematorium fees are displayed in the crematorium office and are revised from January 1st. Services after this date will be charged the revised rate.
Exhumations
1. No human remains will be removed from any grave after committal without the proper authority from the Home Office.
2. In the first instance a request for exhumation should be made to the manager of the Crematorium before any application for licence is made.
3. The Exhumation will be carried out in strict accordance with statutory provisions and any conditions imposed by the Secretary of State for the Home Office and any restrictions added by the Local Area Health Officer. Nothing in these regulations should be construed as authorising the disturbance of Human Remains without the appropriate authority. Human Remains within these regulations is deemed to include cremated remains.
Cremated Remains
1. The interment of cremated remains will only be permitted (and recorded in the cremation registers) when carried out in the presence of the manager or their authorised staff and only after the necessary documentation has been completed. The scattering of cremated remains is only allowed in the nominated area by prior agreement, within the grounds and the above procedure needs to be adhered to also.
2. The certificate for Disposal of Cremated Remains issued by the Crematorium where the cremation took place must be delivered to the office before the interment can take place. Failure to deliver such Certificate will result in postponement of the interment until such time as the certificate can be produced.
REGULATIONS CONCERNING CREMATIONS
1. A cremation can only legally take place when the Crematorium has the Registrars Certificate for Disposal or a Coroners Order for Cremation, Forms 1, 4 and the Medical Referee has signed Form 10 to allow the cremation to take place. Without these forms in no circumstances will a cremation be carried out. (Cremation Regulations 1930 Regulations)
2. The above forms must be received by the Crematorium Office at least 48 hours prior to the service taking place. Failure to provide these forms will cause the cremation to be postponed until such time that these can be produced.
3. The forms will be submitted on those provided by the crematorium and the appropriate fee paid before the cremation takes place, unless an account arrangement has been made with the General Manager.
4. Any form of religious service may be used but any other ceremony is subject to the approval of the General Manager. Alternatively, the ashes may be committed without a service.
5. The General Manager is authorised to refuse entry into the crematorium chapel any coffin, which in their opinion may be a hazard to public health. (Public Health Control of Disease Act 1984).
6. The maximum dimensions of a coffin to be loaded into the cremator is 38” wide (including handles) by 28” deep and 88” long.
7. The number of mourners permitted to enter the crematory for a witnessed cremation is six persons. This can only take place with the prior consent of the Superintendent and at his or her discretion.
8. The Funeral Director, or persons effecting the funeral service must provide sufficient staff to convey the coffin into the chapel, unless prior warning has been given to the office and the appropriate fee paid.
9. Every body that is brought to the crematorium must be contained in a suitable coffin or shroud. No coffin or shroud should be accepted unless it bears adequate particulars of the identity of the deceased therein.
10. The Crematorium will not be held responsible for any error or consequences which may arise by reason of any inaccuracy in or late receipt of paperwork and will accept orders and instructions by telephone only at the risk of the sender.
11. The crematorium will store the resulting cremated remains for a minimum period of 3 months before they are scattered in the remembrance garden, unless instructions to the contrary are given at the time of applying for the cremation.
12. If no instructions are given regarding the use of floral tributes, they will remain in the floral tribute area at the side of the chapel for 2 days, including the day of the funeral. After this period the flowers will then be disposed of.
13. Any music requirements must be communicated to the crematorium office at least 24 hours before the service is due to take place. If pre-recorded music is to be played, each piece of music must be clearly marked and in the case of CDs, each piece of music on a different CD. The crematorium accepts no responsibility for poor quality recordings or damage to worn out CDs or mistakes due to the inadequate labelling of pieces of music.
14. The cremation of body parts is permitted on the completion of the appropriate forms and the payment of the appropriate fee.
15. The cremation of a pregnancy loss is permitted with the production of the Medical Practitioner’s or Midwife’s certificate of delivery.
REGULATIONS RELATING TO MEMORIALS
1. All memorials must be supplied and fixed by the Crematorium Company. No external stone masons will be permitted to carry out work in the crematorium grounds.
2. No memorial may be fixed in the crematorium grounds without the approval of the Manager. Unauthorised memorials will be removed out of the memorial gardens at the grave owner’s expense. All suitable styles and materials will be provided for your choice.
3. Inscriptions can contain relaxed expressions such as “Mum” and “Dad”, nicknames etc. The only regulation to this policy is that no inscription should contain words or sentiments which may be offensive to another visitor in the opinion of the General Manager.
4. All memorials erected are maintained at the expense of the owner of the cremation memorial plot. Where memorials split, crack or become dangerous, the grave owner shall be required to have that memorial repaired, re-fixed or relevelled so that it shall be safe at all times.
5. The Crematorium reserves the right without notice to:
a) Remove or make safe any memorial which in their opinion is a danger or could become a danger to any person in the crematorium grounds.
b) To remove temporarily any memorial or part of the memorial if such a course of action appears to the General Manager to be desirable.
c) To recover all reasonable costs in making any memorial safe from the grantee or their representative.
7. Every memorial design or idea for commemoration will be considered by the company and that choice will be provided if it is reasonable for the company to do so. This will not include though materials which cause particular environmental harm such as the use of teak and other rainforest timbers for garden benches.
Date of Operation:
These regulations shall come into force on 1 January 2022.
These Rules and Regulations are pursuant to the power contained in The Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977 to ensure the proper management of the following Cemetery & Crematorium.
Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium, New Inns Lane, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9TS
General
1. Any person admitted to the Cemetery & Crematorium is subject to these Regulations and to any directions that may be given by a Cemeteries Officer in the course of administering the Cemetery and Crematorium service.
2. The grounds will be open to the public during the following times:
| Office |
9am - 5pm Monday - Friday |
| Gardens |
Weekdays April - September, 9am - 6pm
Weekdays October - March, 9am - 5pm
Weekends and Public Holidays, 10am - 4pm |
Any permanent variations to these opening times will be displayed on the main notice board at least seven days prior to the change.
3. A Cemeteries Officer may take any reasonable action to safeguard the health or safety of the public including closing the Cemetery or part of the Cemetery to the public for the purpose of interments, adverse weather conditions or any reason deemed necessary for the safe operation of the cemetery.
4. All applications for burials must be made to the Cemeteries Office between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Other than in exceptional circumstances or for religious reasons and with the agreement of the Cemeteries Officer at least two full working days' notice must be given before the proposed date of burial. Notice must be given on the Waseley Hills Cemetery standard Notice of Interment.
5. The appropriate fees or charges must be paid to the Cemeteries Office before any interment or work takes place unless agreed otherwise by the Cemeteries Office.
6. Any funeral cortege arriving more than 15 minutes before or after the appointed time may be directed to wait by a Cemeteries Officer until it is convenient to proceed.
7. Any person wishing to carry out an interment or any other work must report to the Cemeteries Officer before carrying out the interment or work. No interment may take place without the presence or authorisation of a Cemeteries Officer.
8. No coffin, casket, wreath, monument, memorial or other article placed in the Cemetery in connection with an interment may be removed from the Cemetery without the permission of the Cemeteries Office.
9. All monuments, memorials, wreaths, plants, plant holders or other personal articles placed in the Cemetery are the responsibility of the grave owner, Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium will not accept any responsibility for their repair, loss or maintenance but may take any appropriate actions to make them safe and recover their costs from the grave owner.
10. No person who is intoxicated, disorderly, uses obscene or offensive language or who commits a nuisance will be allowed in any part of the Cemetery and Crematorium.
11. Dogs are permitted within the grounds and must be always kept on a lead. All mess must be cleaned up.
12. Cycling, skating, skateboarding, the lighting of fireworks, releasing sky lanterns or the playing of games or music are not permitted within the Cemetery.
13. Balloon releases cause serious environmental harm and are not permitted within the grounds.
14. Motor vehicles must not proceed at more than 10 miles per hour and may only drive and park on the roads or prescribed areas. Drivers must obey any directions made by a Cemeteries Officer with regard to routes or parking. Unauthorised vehicles may be removed from the Cemetery. Parking on lawns causes damage and is not permitted.
15. No person may ply for hire or solicit for business within the Cemetery.
Purchase of Graves
16. Any person over the age of 18 years may, subject to availability and payment of the current fee, purchase a Grant for the Exclusive Rights of Burial in a grave space for up to two body interments and four sets of cremated remains interments. The period of Grant will not exceed 75 years.
17. Such Grants will only be made to members of the public either individually or jointly; Grants will not be made in the name of any business or company with the exception of Solicitors or Local Authorities acting on behalf of the deceased.
18. The Exclusive Right of Burial in a private earth grave is 75 years from the date of purchase. Grantees (grave owners) should inform the Cemetery office immediately of any change of address.
19. Such Grants may only be transferred with the consent of the Cemetery office and will be subject to the following conditions:
i. The original Deed of Grant must be produced or a Statutory Declaration to the effect that it has been lost sworn in front of a Commissioner for Oaths.
ii. The original Grant owner must give their written consent in an Assignment Form or have made provision for the transfer in their will or if there is no will, the Grant will pass to the next of kin subject to them completing a Statutory Declaration indemnifying the Cemetery against any claims by other relatives.
iii. The new owner must pay any transfer fee that would have been payable if they had been the original owner.
Interments
20. Each body, whether adult or child, brought into the Cemetery for Interment must be contained in a suitable coffin, casket or shroud. Each coffin, casket or shroud must have suitable identification for the deceased within.
21. The Deed of Grant of Right of Exclusive Burial must be produced to the Cemetery Office before any interment takes place. No grave may be opened for interment without the written consent of the grave owner except for the interment of the grave owner.
22. An interment fee at the current rate must be paid prior to the interment taking place.
23. The Registrar's Certificate for Disposal or the Coroner's Order for Burial must be produced to the Cemetery Office before the interment of any body. The Cemetery Office must be advised at the time of booking if the deceased died of an infectious disease.
24. The Cemetery Office must be advised prior to the interment of any special tributes or personal items that families wish to keep otherwise these will be removed and disposed of. All tributes will be removed from graves and disposed of two weeks after the last interment unless a specific request is made and agreed.
25. All graves without exception will be dug by persons employed or contacted to the cemetery.
26. Pet ashes cannot be interred in the Cemetery.
Care of Graves
27. Wreaths of fresh flowers, flower arrangements and cut flowers shall not be left on any grave once deteriorated. Christmas wreaths will be removed and disposed of during the last week of January. A Cemetery Officer may remove and dispose of any wreaths or cut flowers without notice which detract from the appearance of the Cemetery.
28. To protect the environment, please remove any plastic or cellophane wrapping from floral tributes and dispose of in the bins provided.
29. The Cemetery reserves the right of access over all grave spaces and the right to temporarily remove without notice to the owner any memorial, potted plants, kerb edging or personal items from any grave to facilitate the digging of another grave for the purpose of interment or exhumation.
30. The cemetery reserves the right to place spoil from excavated graves on adjacent plots for the purpose of burial or exhumation. Following the interment all affected areas will be reinstated to their previous condition.
31. The size of the grave plot for lawn memorials is 300mm (12”) base depth x 760mm (2’6”) wide. The size of the plot for traditional graves is 760mm (2’6”) wide x 1980mm (6’6”) long.
32. No physical surround, fencing or planting may be placed on or around any grave designated as a Lawn grave other than a monumental surround of the permitted size (See 44). Fresh flowers and planting maybe placed in front of the headstone within the kerb surround only.
33. Temporary wooden surrounds covering the 720mm (2’6”) wide x 1980mm (6’6”) long are permitted on traditional graves only. Grave owners must ensure these sizes are not exceeded. Temporary surrounds will be removed and disposed of prior to the installation of any memorial. Temporary surrounds must not be made from wire or plastic as they will prevent safe routine maintenance being carried out to the grave space by Cemetery staff. Any surround that is broken, deteriorated or exceeds the permitted size will be removed without notification.
34. The placing of paving slabs, shingle, or unauthorised memorials etc around and leading to a grave space is strictly prohibited and shall be removed and disposed of without prior notice on the grounds of health and safety and to satisfy the insurance underwriter of the cemetery.
35. All flower containers must be sunk to ground level within the designated planting area on lawn graves which is 460mm (18”) from the front of the headstone.
36. New graves or re-opened graves in the Lawn Cemetery will be seeded during spring or autumn at least nine months after the last interment. All plants other than in the designated planting area will be removed prior to seeding. Grave owners are permitted to lay turf over the grave space once the plot has completely settled.
37. Plants may only be planted within the confines of a grave surround on any grave in a part of the Cemetery designated for traditional graves. Plants cannot be planted over the length of lawn graves other than the designated area (Regulation 31).
38. The Cemeteries Office will remove, without notice, any tree or shrub that obstructs any grave, headstone, road or path. No trees or large growing shrubs are permitted to be planted around or within the grave space. These will be removed without notification as they can encroach on other spaces, cause issues with the grave and with maintenance and interments.
39. Plans showing the grave spaces are kept by the Cemetery office and may be viewed during normal office hours.
Monuments and Memorials
40. Waseley Hills is a private cemetery. All memorials must be supplied and fixed by the cemetery company. No external stone masons will be permitted to carry out work in the cemetery. Unauthorised memorials will be removed from the cemetery at the grave owner’s expense.
41. No memorial may be fixed in the cemetery without the approval of the Manager. Unauthorised memorials will be removed out of the cemetery at the grave owner’s expense. All suitable styles and materials will be provided for your choice by the cemetery company.
42. Landings and foundations for grave surrounds and headstones will be installed by the Cemetery memorial staff as part of the memorial. Foundations will be of the appropriate size for the type of grave plot and conform to BS8415.
43. On lawn graves headstones must be at least 760mm (2'6”) high above ground level, 300mm (12”) wide and 75mm (3") thick with a base 300mm (12”) deep and no more than 900mm (3') high, 760mm (2'6") wide and 150mm (6") thick. Headstones will be installed on a secured landing and in accordance with the Code of Practice and Standard Specification of the National Association of Monumental Masons.
44. On lawn graves, kerb surrounds made from monumental material are permitted in front of the headstone for the cultivation of plants or maintenance free chippings/cover slabs. Kerb surrounds must not exceed 760mm (2’6”) wide and 460mm (1’6”) deep.
45. Traditional memorials should not be erected until at least 12 months after the last interment. The Cemetery will not be responsible for levelling memorials where the owner has requested a memorial to be erected before 12 months.
46. Traditional memorials must not exceed 760mm (2’6”) wide and 1980mm (6’6”) in length. The maximum height permitted for traditional memorial is 1830mm (6’)
47. No items are permitted on any land other than where the Exclusive Right of Burial has been granted and may not exceed the memorial dimensions for the type of grave.
48. All monuments or memorials will be inscribed with the appropriate grave number.
49. All monuments or memorials must be securely fixed together and fixed to the landing or foundation with galvanised metal dowels at least 12mm in diameter and must extend at least 75mm into the foundation unit.
50. The Cemetery has the right to make safe any memorial that is deemed to be dangerous or insecure by means of laying flat said memorial. The cemetery will make every effort to contact the owner and if required recover any costs for safety work required.
51. Memorials will be inspected for safety every 6 years; any hazards will be managed by the cemetery company and remedial works will be caried out at the expense of the grave owner.
52. Memorial benches can only be purchased from and supplied by the cemetery company and their position will be determined throughout an agreed lease period by the cemetery company. Benches must not be placed between graves. Any unauthorised bench/seating will be removed without notice by the cemetery and stored for owners’ collection.
53. The Cemetery Company cannot accept responsibility for the safekeeping of any personal items left in the grounds or on memorials.
54. The Cemetery is a communal area, please respect each other’s space. Additional dedicated areas are not permitted unless authorised by the cemetery office and the appropriate fee paid.
55. Permitted personal items within the cemetery are restricted to potted plants, fresh flowers and wreaths. Glass jars/bottles are not permitted and will be removed. The cemetery office will not be held responsible for the safekeeping of items left on graves.
56. Wind chimes and any item that creates a noise nuisance are forbidden anywhere in the cemetery and will be removed without notice.
57. It is forbidden to encroach on any land, tree or area within the cemetery where the Exclusive Rights of Burial has not been granted.
58. To maintain a clean and peaceful environment, personal items are not permitted outside dedicated memorial plots within the Cemetery. Unauthorised items including items that detract from the appearance of the cemetery will be removed without notice. These items will be retained for a period of two weeks for collection otherwise after this period the cemetery may dispose of such items.
Exhumations
59. No interred remains may be exhumed or removed from any part of any Cemetery without an appropriate Home Office Licence.
60. Any exhumation must be carried out in accordance with all conditions set out in the Licence and must be carried out when the Cemetery is closed to the public.
61. An exhumation fee and any appropriate grave digging or memorial removal charges at the current rate must be paid prior to the exhumation.
Records
62. Electronic registers of all burials will be kept at the Cemeteries Office and will be open, by appointment, to search by any member of the public during the opening hours of the Cemeteries Office subject to relevant GDPR regulations. Provision of written confirmation of Register details will be charged at a minimum of half an hour's administration time at the current rate of charge.
Additional rules
63. The Cemetery reserves the right to make any alterations and additions to the Rules and Regulations of the Cemetery & Crematorium at any time it feels fit or deems appropriate.
These rules come into effect – January 2024.
