While Orange City Council can’t help its residents with taxes, it is making an effort in the other area by expanding the Orange cemetery.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows the Orange local government area grew by almost 6 per cent, or 2221 people, from 2007 to 2010.

To cope, Orange City Council will expand the cemetery area by around 1000 plots.

Manager of building and environment Mark Hodges said the increase meant around one hectare of land would be developed for burials.

“It will give us another five to 10 years of burials,” he said.

The cemetery’s south-west corner will be developed to include an area for a non-denomination lawn ceremony.

“It’ll be the same as what you see now, just more of it,” Mr Hodges said.

“There’s a new road being put down and rehabilitation of a small creek.”

Mr Hodges said one of the proposals for the cemetery was a natural burial section.

“We’re investigating a more natural burial section, environmentally friendly,” he said.

He said the proposal was “still a fair way down the track” but it would involve burials in a cardboard box or shroud with no headstone.

Mr Hodges said the cemetery had enough land to cope with the next 20 to 30 years, with an area of 4.8 hectares available for expansion.

The expansion project will be completed by the end of March 2012.

nadine.morton@ruralpress. com