New Forest cemetery: your grave rights expire after just 30 years

Last updated 11 August 2026

New Forest District Council cemetery fees

Current burial and cemetery fees for New Forest District Council, covering cemeteries across the New Forest district in Hampshire. The council directly manages a number of cemeteries across the district, including sites at Totton, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, and New Milton, with additional sites at Eling and Calshot.

New Forest gives residents a 50% discount on most cemetery fees, so non-residents effectively pay double for those categories. You qualify for the resident rate if you’re a current New Forest resident, a non-resident paying for a New Forest resident, a previous resident who relocated for dependent or independent living needs, or a previous resident who bought a plot while living in the district. Everyone else pays the non-resident rate. Call the Cemeteries Office on 023 8028 5952 if you’re unsure which applies.

The Exclusive Right of Burial at New Forest cemeteries is granted for 30 years (shorter than the 50-year standard at many councils). This means the ERB purchase price is lower, but the right will need extending after 30 years.

Grave purchase (exclusive right of burial)

ERB is for 30 years at all New Forest cemeteries.

Grave typeResident feeNon-resident fee
Single or double lawn/woodland grave£1,205£2,410
Eling and Calshot single/double lawn grave (inc. memorial ground support)£1,325£2,650
Traditional kerbed grave (specific sections and cemeteries)£1,880£3,760
Location selected by purchaser£310£310
Cremated remains plot£495£990
Woodland cremated remains plot£635£1,270
Assignment or transfer of Exclusive Right of Burial£195£195
Re-issue of Exclusive Right of Burial£78£78

Burial and interment fees

ServiceResident feeNon-resident fee
Adult interment – lawn or woodland grave£940£1,880
Adult interment – traditional kerbed section£1,200£2,400
Adult interment – burial chamber (uncoffined)£2,225£4,450
Single-depth interment requiring two grave spaces£1,880£3,760
Use of memorial garden£140£280
Saturday burial surcharge+50%+50%
Family-organised interment administration fee£205£205
Postponement or cancellation (within 48 hours of interment)Interment feeInterment fee

Children’s burial fees are met through the Children’s Funeral Fund for England – there is no charge to families for children under 18.

Cremated remains fees

ServiceResident feeNon-resident fee
Interment of ashes in cremated remains section£436£872
Interment of ashes in existing grave or woodland grave£436£872

Memorial permit fees

Unlike most other fees on this page, memorial permit fees are the same for residents and non-residents.

ItemFee
Permission to erect or amend a memorial£235
Permission to erect or amend a memorial with kerbstone (traditional sections)£470
Permission for offsite repair or maintenance of a memorial, including removal from cemetery£78
Permission for in situ maintenance, no changes to memorialNo charge

Sundry fees

ServiceFee
Use of chapel£110
Research fee, per hour£78

Non-resident fees

Most fees are doubled for non-residents – including ERB purchase, interment, and cremated remains. Memorial permit fees, sundry fees, and the assignment, transfer, and re-issue charges for ERB apply equally to residents and non-residents.

About New Forest District Council cemeteries

New Forest District Council is a two-tier local authority in Hampshire, covering a large rural district with a population of around 180,000. The district lies between Southampton and Bournemouth, stretching from the South Coast inland to include the New Forest National Park.

The council maintains cemeteries at several locations across the district. Unlike the national park area itself, where burial provision is largely handled by parish councils, the district’s larger settlements are served by council-run sites.

Saturday burials are available at a 50% surcharge on the interment fee. Families who choose to organise the interment themselves (without a registered funeral director) are required to pay an additional administration fee of £205.

Contact: New Forest District Council Cemeteries Office – cemeteries@nfdc.gov.uk or telephone 023 8028 5952 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am–3:30pm).

Fees verified 2026-08-11 against published fee schedule. Source: New Forest District Council – Cemetery fees and charges.

Looking for cremation fees instead?

The council’s cemeteries are separate from New Forest Crematorium & Memorial Gardens (Stem Lane, New Milton), which is privately operated by Westerleigh Group. See New Forest Crematorium fees for cremation costs.