Bishop’s Stortford Town Council consults on best way to balance commemoration and conservation
Consultation has begun on a new Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) for Bishop’s Stortford Cemetery.
The strategy aims to protect the biodiversity of the area while ensuring “respectful upkeep”.
The town council is working with Hertfordshire County Council’s Countryside Management Service on the 2026-31 plan.
As a first step, a briefing document has been produced, setting out how stakeholders can contribute.
There will be two consultation periods. The first invites initial comments before Tuesday October 21. The second, pencilled in for January next year, will allow feedback on a new draft GAP before the final document is produced.
The town council manages the Old Cemetery and New Cemetery on either side of Cemetery Road, but only the former, east of the route, is covered by the GAP.
It dates back 171 years to the Victorian era and covers approximately 3.2 hectares (7.9 acres). Two flint and mortar mortuary chapels designed by architect George E Pritchard in 1855 stand on the site.
It is the last resting place of members of the Gilbey family, celebrated town benefactors in the 19th and early 20th century, including gin magnate and jam entrepreneur Sir Walter Gilbey.
There are also 36 war graves, dating from the First and Second World Wars, tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Last year, the town council was criticised by members of the Bishop’s Stortford Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club for allowing uncut grass and wildflowers over military graves.
The cemetery is also a designated Local Wildlife Site because of its importance for grassland species such as bee orchids, red fescue, common sorrel, common knapweed, bird’s-foot-trefoil and field wood-rush.
Trees include beech, Scots pine, Lawson cypress, yew, oak and a large cedar of Lebanon. The cemetery is a haven for squirrels, bats, deer, foxes and buzzards.
The last management plan for the Old Cemetery was published in 2012 and mapped out the conservation grassland areas.
Usually, during spring and summer, the grass is left to grow naturally to encourage wildflower growth and support pollinators such as bees and butterflies. In early autumn, the area is cut back and tidied in preparation for the next growing season.
However, management of the wider grassland areas temporarily ceased at the start of this year while the town council asked for advice about the best way to manage the whole cemetery.
Outside of the grassland areas, there is regular mowing by a maintenance team responsible for day-to-day management.
A Friends of Bishop’s Stortford Cemetery group has recently been formed to support the maintenance and management of the cemetery. The new GAP will inform their role, and the work carried out will support the aims and objectives in the plan.
The briefing document has been published online at https://www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/news/bishops-stortford-cemetery-greenspace-action-plan-2026-2031-public-engagement and will be followed by the draft and final plans. Comments should be emailed to caroline.crang@hertfordshire.gov.uk.