00:00A cemetery in Gravesend has attracted criticism from residents, as Gravesham Borough Council aims to achieve a green flag award
00:08for the site.
00:09The scheme allows grass and wildflowers to grow, but some feel things have been taken a little too far.
00:16As you can see here, the weeds and grass are completely overgrown between the graves, and residents are saying it's
00:22not good enough.
00:23Lee Meany wants part of the council's budget to be spent on improving the site.
00:28As he says, the condition of his mother-in-law's grave is unacceptable, especially when other areas of the cemetery
00:35are neatly maintained.
00:37Well, when I first came here, I couldn't believe it got in that state, so we cleared around as much
00:44as we can.
00:45But it doesn't matter how much you clear, the weeds are just going to germinate, they're going to go all
00:50over the place.
00:51Unless you visit every two weeks or something like that, it's going to go back to the same state it
00:59is.
00:59And, you know, there's people that, we've got people here that live miles away, that can't visit, and say they
01:06come here every sort of like three or four months.
01:09It must be terrible.
01:11I took to the streets of Gravesend to ask residents for their views after showing them pictures of the cemetery.
01:17Oh, that's disgusting. Who's left it like that? That needs to be...
01:26No, that's not acceptable. That's a graveyard.
01:31It needs looking after, do you know what I mean? There's headstones there, do you know what I mean?
01:35People are buried there. So, obviously, it needs trimming that and looking after, do you know what I mean?
01:43It's really overgrown. And if I had to go there, if I had my grandfather buried there and I needed
01:49to get there, I would be incredibly hurt and violated.
01:55A spokesperson for Gravesend Council said we recognise that cemeteries in urban areas have a unique role to play in
02:03supporting wildlife and biodiversity.
02:06A key element of that is the planned rewilding of areas in the cemetery, which we started in May 2023.
02:13The support for our ideas and work has been overwhelmingly positive.
02:18But as the council pushes ahead with its plans for a greener cemetery, residents say maintaining the graves and respecting
02:25those laid to rest must remain a priority.
02:28Maisie Walker for KMTV, Gravesend.
