Corby's cemetery to have its long awaited extension

Corby Council agreed last night to go out to consultation on the package of improvements which could see millions being spent across the town on its public, sporting and shopping facilities.

Officers had drawn up a list of projects including a £1m revamp of the town’s 50m swimming pool and at the One Corby meeting councillors reshuffled the list taking out £625,000 of suggested projects to make way for an extension to the Shire Road cemetery.

£187,000 worth of LED light upgrades in council buildings, £48,000 on a town tree survey and £40,000 for two new maintenance vans were among schemes ditched in favour of having more burial plots in the town.

Speaking at the meeting Cllr Mark Pengelly said: “It is important we as a local council have provision for our people to be buried. I think there are five years left in the cemetery as it stands now.”

The cash will come out of the council’s reserves and is eight times more than has been spent by the authority in recent years. At the meeting the council’s director of corporate services Adrian Sibley said the authority was in the position to spend the millions after the past few years of careful financial management.

Other improvements that make up part of the £5.2m spend include: £20,000 on refreshing street names signs; £145,000 on the stable block at East Carlton Park; £83,000 on building upgrade at Saxilby Boxing Club; £150k on overhauling the 3G all weather pitch at Lodge Park Sports Centre; £60,000 on a cemetery improvement feasibility study; £50k on footpath improvements; £46,000 on finishing off the play park at Lyveden Way; £20,000 on replacing the Glastonbury Road play area and £600k on shopping precinct facelifts.

On Cllr John McGhee’s request the committee agreed to bring forward the £43,000 earmarked for repairs to Burghley Drive pavilion and to make the improvements this financial year.

The funds will be spent ahead of the council’s abolition in 2020 when it is anticipated it will join with Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants councils to form the North Northants unitary.