'At risk of collapse' cemetery structure plans approved

Plans to demolish a cemetery toilet block “at risk of collapse” have been given the green light by council development chiefs.

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application to bulldoze the unused building at Boldon Cemetery in the Boldon Colliery ward.

The request for ‘prior approval’ for the building, which sits off Dipe Lane near the cemetery lodge, was registered by the local authority earlier in November.

A planning application described the toilet block building as an “unused deteriorating structure” and said the roof is “at risk of collapse”.

Those behind the scheme added the small structure would only require  “hand demolition methods”.

After considering the planning application, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on December 6, 2023.

A council decision report said the “proposed method of demolition would be appropriate given the scale and location of the building”.

Council planners added that the “proposed method of site restoration would also be acceptable, leaving the site in a tidy condition”.

Work is expected to start on site later this year with demolition taking three days to complete.

A council decision report adds: “The application site is a former public toilet block located in Boldon Cemetery that is no longer in regular public use.

“Furthermore, the applicant has identified that the structure is deteriorating and [at] risk of collapse.

“The applicant within the submitted application form has advised that the area is planned to be used for future cremation burial plots”.

For more information on the demolition plan and council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal and search reference:  ST/0773/23/DEM