Residents in Shirehampton have reacted strongly to a survey ifrom UWE Bristol about potentially installing ground source heat pumps in cemeteries.
The university’s research team is considering Shirehampton Cemetery, with the nearby beneficiary being Shirehampton Primary School.
It is stressed that this is a research project in its earliest stages and absolutely no action/impact is planned to take place at Shirehampton Cemetery.
While some locals regard the concept as interesting, many more are appalled at the prospect and made their feelings clear on social media. The loudest opposition came from those who visit the cemetery to talk to and feel close to relatives laid to rest there. One described it as “absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful”, adding: “I will definitely oppose any planning to use the cemetery as a project for UWE research. If you want a ground heat source, dig up the school playground, leave the cemetery and the people there to RIP.”
Another local, with a close family member recently buried at the cemetery, felt: “I’m sure they can find somewhere else to do this if it is really needed. But it shouldn’t even have been put out there for an idea.”
An introduction to the research provided by UWE states:
“A ground source heat pump (GSHP) is a heating system that gently takes the natural, renewable warmth stored in the soil and transfers it into a building, working efficiently without damaging the ground.
This project is interested in developing a hypothetical understanding of how much energy could be generated from installing GSHPs in cemeteries, and whether this would then have the capacity to heat neighbouring community buildings.
Individual graves would NOT be included in any measurements, however cemeteries have large areas of land in their paths and green verges which may have the scope to contribute sustainably to heating neighbouring community buildings such as schools, libraries and parish halls, which provide vital spaces for local people but often struggle to cover costs.
The project also aims to understand whether or how this sort of installation would be socially acceptable. Cemeteries are important both to people with deceased loved ones buried there, but also more widely as community spaces. It is of the utmost importance that any new developments do not interfere with these existing functions and values.”
More information about the project can be found in the participant information sheet that can be accessed and downloaded if you click to continue on the survey link https://tinyurl.com/bddywcur