West Norfolk Labour councillor Sandra Collop has said she is “delighted” after winning the campaign to prevent Gaywood Cemetery being closed to new burials.
Collop, a councillor since 2011, represents Gaywood North Bank ward on the council and is chair of its Environment and Community panel.
On Tuesday the panel agreed that the council should convert grass pathways at the cemetery into extra burial space, while work continues to find a longer-term solution for providing more graves in the town.
Cllr Collop had led the fightback after a proposal was brought to the Environment and Community panel to close the cemetery this spring.
She took a stand and said this was not acceptable and that she could not support such a proposal. Her view was supported by the rest of the committee.
After this, council officers re-examined the issue and realised the grass pathways could be used to extend the cemetery’s use.
The pathway plan will give the council much-needed breathing space to find alternative land for burials nearby.
Cllr Collop has campaigned relentlessly to find a solution to a problem the council has known was coming for many years.
After the proposal to close the cemetery – with no nearby alternative – was rejected by the panel in autumn 2025, an Informal working group was established.
The group delivered two proposals:
- For officers to formally convert grass pathways in Gayton Road Cemetery into allocated grave spaces which can be utilised for future burials. This additional capacity would allow the Gayton Road Cemetery to remain open for an additional two to three years.
- Further exploration to identify suitable sites that will provide longer term burial solutions within the King’s Lynn area. This should include, but not limited to, revisiting the allotment area initially planned for an extension to Gayton Road Cemetery, and the Old Nursery site adjacent to Gayton Road Cemetery.
The Environment and Community panel gave its full backing to these proposals.
Cllr Collop said: “I am delighted that there has finally been a resolution to this problem and it has been worth the years of hard work to get here.
“It is so important that residents can lay their loved ones to rest at a cemetery near them as visiting them can bring such comfort to them in a difficult time.
“I am relieved that the council now has the time to work towards finding a long-term solution. I will continue to work with the council to ensure this happens.”
She added: “It was seven years ago that myself, my late husband John – who was also a councillor – and Councillor Paul Kunes met Ray Thornalley, the funeral director, to discuss this subject and I am very happy that there has finally been progress.”