"The Church of England has intervened in a row over plans to build a car park and crematorium on a historic graveyard containing the remains of 1,171 former hospital patients. "The cemetery on the grounds of the former Calderstones hospital, in Lancashire’s idyllic Ribble Valley, had been derelict since it was sold by the NHS to a private developer for £5,000 in 2000. "Nearly 500 headstones, including 13 marking the graves of infants who died during the second world war, were removed from the graveyard shortly after it was sold, causing outrage among relatives. "Work on the site, which is thought to be worth more than £2m, was abruptly halted by the developer in January when historians discovered records revealing that the Church of England formally set aside the land for sacred use “in perpetuity” 102 years ago. "The diocese of Blackburn is considering whether to deconsecrate part of the graveyard after a formal request by the developer. The company behind the plans, All Faiths Remembrance Parks, wants to build a multi-faith crematorium and car park. "But campaigners are calling on the bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson, to prevent what they call the “desecration” of the graves and instead plant a garden of remembrance on the one-hectare (2.7-acre) site." Read the rest of the story at https://tinyurl.com/y7g2o7sf