$5.8m for Clarendon cemetery rehabilitation

The Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) has earmarked $5.8 million to rehabilitate damaged and exposed graves at two public cemeteries, with work expected to begin at Denbigh Cemetery, the parish’s main burial ground, before extending to the coastal community of Rocky Point.

Of the allocation, $1.84 million has been earmarked for Denbigh, and $3.96 million will fund repairs at Rocky Point. Chief Executive Officer Rowhan Blake disclosed the figures at the corporation’s October meeting of the Public Health Committee, noting that the estimates had been approved by the Finance Committee.

Alongside the planned repairs, the corporation is pursuing a digital system to strengthen oversight of burial applications and guard against interments taking place without the required approvals.

Blake said the CMC is engaging the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to develop software that would allow relevant departments and agencies to access burial applications and track their progress in real time.

“We are engaging the ministry to create a type of software so we can get real-time information. So when an application is made, all the users, all the departments and agencies will have access to view the applications and the progress. So that in itself would be able to help us,” Blake explained.

He also proposed providing councillors with lists of submitted applications, enabling them to compare official records with information on burial activity and flag cases in which no application had been recorded.

CONCERNS ABOUT CEMETERY CAPACITY

The planned rehabilitation comes against a backdrop of longstanding concerns about the capacity of Denbigh Cemetery. In 2016, projections by the municipality suggested that the burial site would run out of plots within two years. At the time, Blake, then secretary-manager, said three potential sites for new cemeteries were being investigated.

The Clarendon Parish Provisional Development Order, published in 2017, also identified Denbigh Cemetery as nearing capacity and recommended securing land for alternative burial arrangements. The Sevens Wood area was identified as a possible location for a new cemetery.

Those concerns intensified in June 2025 when Mayor Joel Williams announced that Denbigh Cemetery, which serves residents from within and beyond its immediate catchment area, had reached full capacity. Efforts to secure an alternative site encountered both community resistance and technical challenges, including geological concerns.

Beyond processing burial applications, the corporation has a statutory responsibility to maintain public cemeteries. Jamaica’s Public Cemetery Management and Regulation Act requires municipal councils to keep cemeteries, including their buildings and boundary fences, in proper repair and good condition. The legislation also provides for the management, regulation, and control of public cemeteries by the relevant authorities.

As it prepares to undertake the repairs and strengthen oversight of burial applications, the corporation says it remains committed to improving municipal services and advancing the development of Clarendon.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com