Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981

Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981

Notice of intention to remove human remains if found and re-intern on the same site at Maidstone Methodist Church Community Centre, 20 Brewer Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RU

1.Notice is hereby given that Octavia House Schools Limited, not less than two months after the date of the first publication of this notice, may need to exhume remains of various persons interred at the burial ground of Maidstone Methodist Community Centre, 20 Brewer Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RU, in order to replace utility connections for the school building; create a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) and lay footings for various outbuildings.

2.A plan of the present place of burial and a list of names of those buried so far as can be ascertained are deposited at Octavia House Schools, 20 Brewer Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RU and may be inspected free of charge between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, for six weeks from the date of this notice (ie until 9th January 2026).

3.Subject to paragraph 5 below, Octavia House Schools, hope not to disturb any remains, but should that not be possible, propose to arrange for all remains disturbed to be removed and reinterred or cremated in accordance with the following conditions proposed by the Secretary of State:

a)The removal of the remains to be affected with due care and attention to decency

b)The ground in which the remains are interred to be screened from the public gaze while the work of removal is in progress

c)A suitable disinfectant solution to be freely sprinkled over the coffins and soil, if necessary

d)The removal to be to the satisfaction of the environmental health officer for the district in which the remains are at present interred and in accordance with any additional conditions he or she may impose

e)The remains and any articles apparently buried with the deceased to be placed in fresh shells or such other containers as meet the requirements of the said officer;

f)The remains to be removed prior to the commencement of any building work and reinterred at Maidstone Methodist Church Community Centre, within two years from the date of this notice, and in any intervening period to be kept safely, privately and decently.

4.Octavia House Schools propose to leave in situ all memorials.

5.Any personal representative or relative of any deceased person interred at the burial ground of Maidstone Methodist Community Centre, has the right to give notice in writing to Octavia House Schools by 9th January 2026 of their intention, within two months of the date of publication of this notice, to make their own arrangements for the removal of such remains and their reinterment in any churchyard, burial ground or cemetery in which interments may legally take place or, if desired, to make arrangements for their cremation, and to claim or dispose of any memorial commemorating the deceased. The reasonable expenses of such removal, reinterment, cremation or disposal will be defrayed by Octavia House Schools.

6.Any person entitled to burial rights at the date of this notice may claim compensation in respect of the loss of such rights by writing to the undersigned.

Dated this 1st day of December 2026

Signed on behalf of Octavia House Schools, 102 Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5DP.