The government has today (11 January 2024) announced its intention to apply to the Privy Council for an order requiring burials be stopped at the cemetery in North London. This would mean no new burials would be permitted, except where plots have previously been reserved.
The move follows 2 government-ordered inspections which found remains were being unlawfully disturbed during the burial process. Recommendations that no new plots should be excavated or sold, record keeping should be improved, and a survey undertaken to identify existing burials have not been met.
The Ministry of Justice has said the prevention of future burials should not impact the opening of the site for the public to visit their loved ones’ graves.
Justice Minister Mike Freer said: “The people buried in this cemetery were laid to rest and the repeated disturbance of their remains is not only illegal but a breach of trust.
“I believe it is necessary to seek this closure to ensure that Tottenham Park Cemetery can safely serve its community in future.”
The Ministry of Justice said it will continue to work with the cemetery’s owners, Enfield Council and other interested parties to ensure the reserved graves continue to be managed.
Complaints about the conditions were first raised by members of the Turkish Speaking community who visited loved one at the cemetery. For more than 8 years community members have raised their distress regarding maintains of the cemetery, management and the burial process.
Londra Gazete reported back at the end of 2017 community members had claimed to have found bone fragments at the cemetery that following a voluntary cleaning day which had been set up, after complaints about the maintains of the cemetery had gone unheard.
Complaints made to the local authorities which were then escalated to the ministry of justice by the end of 2018, following the confirmation on human remains by police and enforcement visits from the local council.
In 2023 the cemetery was under new management after it was sold to Mustafa Dari and Ersin Savas from the previous owner, Peter Demetriou.
Reports of human remains being found on the grounds date back to 2015. The cemetery was previously owned by Tottenham Park Cemetery Limited and the company announced it would be going into liquidation in 2018. The following year it was sold to Mr Demetriou.
For the government to stop burials at private cemeteries legally it requires an Order in Council. Those are considered by the Privy Council Office and signed by the King.
Part of the Cemetery is leased to the Tottenham Park Islamic Cemetery Association (TPICA) which manages burials in that area. The MoJ is in contact with the TPICA about the implications of the closure for grave space reserved within their area.
