The Ismaili Trust, a faith-based organisation, recently submitted a planning application for a new, single-storey funeral ceremony pavilion along with extensive landscaping that reflects the surrounding area.
Following the submission, the Trust would like to provide further details on the planning application.
Nature of the Proposals
The Ismaili community has used a burial ground at Brookwood Cemetery for several decades, however it is now at full capacity. So, in October 2020, the Ismaili Trust acquired cemetery land at Hale Road.
The new building will sit in the southern section of the site away from homes and St John’s Church, with additional screening provided by new trees and hedges.

What We Are Not Proposing
The proposals are for a ceremony pavilion, not a building for daily worship, and there will be no calls to prayer. As such, the Trust’s proposals maintain the site’s natural, rural qualities, which will be enhanced by the introduction of woodland, complementing Farnham Park.
There are no plans for new homes as part of the Trust’s proposals, and the Trust has no relationship with the application for nine homes at Oast House Lane, which was refused by Waverley Borough Council and is now under appeal.

Hours of Operation
The pavilion will be solely used for funerals of the Ismaili community, which have traditionally taken place three days-a-week (as required), with an anticipated two burials per week on average across the year.
This practice within the Ismaili community has occurred seamlessly over the last several decades at Brookwood Cemetery, alongside the practices of other faiths, and the Trust aspires to maintain its reputation as a responsible and considerate neighbour in Farnham.