Private burials
If you plan to have a burial on private land you should consult with your local council and the police in advance.
In Northern Ireland, when selecting a site for a private burial you should consider the following:
- Burial plots should be at least 250 m away from a borehole, spring or well used for the supply of drinking water and/or bottling of mineral water.
- Burial plots should be at least 50 m away from all other boreholes, springs or wells.
- Burial plots should be at least 50 m away from a river, canal, lake, wetland or the coast.
- Burial plots should be at least 10 m away from field drains (this also includes old agricultural drainage systems no longer in use as they can act as preferential pathways).
- At least 1 m of subsoil below the burial pit.
- No sand and gravel or standing water at the bottom of the burial pit.
In Scotland, when selecting a site for a private burial, SEPA recommends following the guidance for low-risk burial grounds.
Low risk burial grounds
- At least 250 m from any spring, well or borehole used for drinking water or food production
- At least 50 m from any designated groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystem
- At least 50 m from a designated bathing water
- At least 50 m from any spring, well or borehole not used for drinking water or food production
- At least 10 m from a river, burn or loch
- At least 10 m from a field drain or ditch
- At least 10 m from a wetland
- At least 10 m from a transitional water or coastal water as measured from mean high-water springs
- The burials are above the water table, with a minimum of 1 m of unsaturated zone below the burial
- Not above shallow mine workings
- Not on contaminated Land
- Not in an area that is prone to flooding.
If these criteria can be met then you may be able to carry out a private burial on your site. You must clearly mark the site of the burial and keep a record of its location.
Further information
In Northern Ireland, more information can be found in the following guidance documents:
- DAERA Environmental Advice for Planning: Practice Guide – Cemeteries, Burials, and the Water Environment
- DAERA Environmental Advice for Planning: Practice Guide – Water Features Survey
In Scotland, more information can be found in the following document: