What comes to your mind when you think about London’s future? Perhaps more housing? Better transport? Policing? Schools?
But what about saying goodbye to our loved ones? How do we make sure London has appropriate facilities for them?
The draft London Plan is currently under consultation. Put simply, it's a plan for the priorities for London's future. That includes things like building homes, transport and infrastructure. The decisions we make now will shape the city for generations to come, including the facilities our communities need at every stage of life.
There is a chapter that rightly focuses on the space we have for burial grounds. But for me there should also be a consideration for culturally and religiously appropriate crematoriums across London.
With the consultation opening on the London Plan, I saw an opportunity. The future of London is already under consideration. That's why I've decided to raise this now.
Our city is one of the most diverse in the world. People from different faiths and cultural backgrounds have very different traditions when saying goodbye to their loved ones.
Our city should recognise that. Planning for these needs is about making sure every community feels that London is a place where their traditions are understood. Families should not have to travel long distances or struggle to find facilities that allow them to follow the customs that matter to them.
We're also growing. Over the next decade, we're expected to be a city of 10 million people. We need to think about where people live, but also how we say goodbye to them when they spiritually leave this earth.
The current London Plan already appreciates that we need to plan for burial space. But I think it needs to go further if we want to meet the demand for crematoriums.
At the moment there aren’t any crematoriums in London that cater specifically for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. Existing crematoriums in London lack the spaces and facilities for large gatherings and families are left with difficult choices having to restrict who can attend this important ceremony of last rites.
Many organisations have come to me in the past wanting to address this issue for the community but have experienced planning hurdles which has stopped potential projects progressing.
This problem will only become more apparent as our population grows. Demand for both burial and cremation space will increase. That's why we need to plan ahead rather than wait for the problem to get worse.
This might sound like a small detail, but it really does matter. The UK has an ageing population. More cities will be facing the same dilemma that London does. That's why I'm asking Londoners from all backgrounds to support this change to the Draft London Plan.
Let’s make sure no family in London is left with tough choices about how to give their loved ones a dignified farewell. Whether that reflects their faith and culture, or just their personal wishes.
