Fencing at Tomlinsons has begun, with burials expected shortly, but critics say it appears smaller than St. John’s site

The Ministry of Works has commenced fencing what is to become
the new public cemetery at Tomlinsons, off the Sir Sidney Walling
Highway, thereby paving the way for burials.

Earlier, the Administration had announced its intention to transform
and design that location in a manner that would bring the cemetery
in line with other modern societies, including the construction of a
crematorium.

However, it appears that the promised grand, modern, state-of-the-
art facility initially planned will be foregone for now.

The Browne Administration has been forced to commence burials at
Tomlinsons before the new facility can be built, because most of the
current sites – including the St. John’s Public Cemetery and the
Valley Church Community Cemetery – have reached capacity.

The St. John’s site will no longer accommodate burials, unless
families are utilizing the graves of other relatives, Health officials
have indicated.

Accordingly, at the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, September
27, the Executive deemed the commissioning of the new cemetery
an absolutely necessary, and said the first burial is likely to take
place there in a few weeks.

According to officials, “regulations are to be adopted by the
Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda in order to ensure that certain
standards are adhered to in the new Tomlinsons Cemetery.”

For example, only standardized headstones are to be used to allow
for a tidy and respectful burial place for loved ones.
Meanwhile, persons are expressing concern about the size of the
area being fenced, since, they say, it appears that the Government
intends to bury only 12 people there.
 
Critics say the designated area appears to be smaller than the
current public cemetery, and a burial ground with less capacity
would make no sense.

They say it also appears that the area will not be able to
accommodate roads to allow a hearse or other vehicles to drive to
the graves.

Following its August 23 Cabinet meeting, the Executive had said that
burials at Tomlinsons would commence immediately after the
demarcated land has been fenced and the plans for graves and
buildings are completed.
 
The property had been fenced several years ago; but the fence is
now in disrepair with large holes in several areas.
 
In 2021, Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph had made excuses for
the delay in construction of the new public cemetery. However, he
claimed, then, that the $2 million transferred from the CIP Fund for
this purpose had been deposited into the Consolidated Fund for
disbursement.
 
He added that all the technical work had been done – by an expert
from the United States who had developed the Arlington
National Cemetery, along with local professionals who included
architects and engineers.