We, the undersigned residents and concerned citizens, hereby petition Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to take immediate action to restore Horton Cemetery to community ownership through compulsory purchase. Furthermore, we express our strong objection to a council officer's description of Horton Cemetery as an "amenity woodland."

Background:

Horton Cemetery, the largest asylum cemetery in Europe, holds significant historical and cultural importance to our community. It serves as the final resting place for thousands of individuals, and their memory deserves to be respected and preserved. We believe that describing this sacred ground as an "amenity woodland" is both inaccurate and disrespectful to the memory of those buried here.

Our Demands:

Compulsory Purchase: We urge Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to initiate the compulsory purchase of Horton Cemetery and return it to community ownership. Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, as a first step, should obtain an expert valuation of Horton Cemetery from the District Valuer, providing his office with a full report on the matter from our Charity.  The community should have a say in the preservation and future use of this sacred site.

Classification for planning purposes: We request the Council to reconfirm its prior acknowledgement that the planning status of The Cemetery is sui generis. "One of a kind", i.e., "a cemetery", and reject a Council Officer's description of the Cemetery as "amenity woodland".  

Reasons for Our Petition:

Historical Significance: Horton Cemetery has played a crucial role in our local history. It is the final resting place of countless individuals who contributed to the heritage and development of our community.

Community Ownership: Restoring the cemetery to community ownership will ensure that its future is determined by the people who cherish its historical and cultural value. It will also allow for the proper maintenance and upkeep of the site, and access to an ever growing number of interested relatives who wish to show their respects.

Respectful Classification: Describing Horton Cemetery as an "amenity woodland" is not only misleading but also disrespectful to the memories of those interred here. We demand Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to recognise the site as nothing but a cemetery.

Through the mere opinion of a Council Officer, the Council should not confer on the private-property speculator-owner a liberty to use the Cemetery as amenity woodland, e.g., paintballing, zip-wire playground, barbeques, etc. The Council must recognise the site as a Cemetery for all purposes including planning enforcement.

We, the undersigned, call on Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to act in the best interest of our community, its history, and its values by restoring Horton Cemetery to community ownership.