Artist's impressions show how new Black Country cemetery will look

The £2.2 million project will turn space off Powke Lane into a new cemetery with an office building, providing burials in Sandwell for decades to come.

The new cemetery will include visitor toilets, along with landscaping, a car park and improvements to the open space.

The reveal of the new Rowley Regis cemetery comes as two of Sandwell's established cemeteries celebrate receiving national awards.

Tipton Cemetery has been awarded Gold Cemetery of the Year in the National Cemetery of the Year Awards. Fallings Heath cemetery also picked up a silver award in two different categories.

The main construction work and landscaping at the new Rowley Regis cemetery is expected to be complete in early 2022.

Investigative work has already started in preparation for building and landscaping works to begin in early 2021.

Work on the new cemetery will see more than 70 per cent of the existing green area remain as public open space. Public rights of way will also be maintained.

Councillor Wasim Ali, cabinet member for resources and core services, said: “We are rapidly running out of burial space in Sandwell and without this new site, we would be facing the possibility of families being unable to bury their loved ones here in the not too distant future.

“The new cemetery will take up less than 30 per cent of the green space we’re using, and the rest of the area will still be open to the public for walks and other activities.

“Work will be carried out with the minimum of disruption to residents and we’ll be focussing on not only improving the open space that remains accessible to residents, but also boosting the ecological value of the site.”

Residents are reassured that the majority of mature trees on the site will not be removed. Some non-native species, smaller trees and undergrowth clearance work will be necessary at the entrance to the site.

Plans for the site also include enhancing wooded areas and work on the former canal arm.