Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council anticipates running out of burial plots in two to four years. An audit committee meeting received a report stating that of 10 graveyards, only Lisburn New Cemetery permits new plot purchases, and only at the time of death.

DUP Alderman James Tinsley asked about the risk of exhausting spaces. The council requires 144 new spaces each year. A phased strategy aims to deliver 565 plots, extending capacity for about four years.

Mitigation plans include seeking permission for single-depth double plots, vaults for ashes, and single plots for up to 12 urns. The council has tasked an estate agent with acquiring additional land.

A council officer noted no statutory duty exists to supply burial plots to the public, except for welfare cases. The officer added that the council may hold a moral duty to offer public spaces. Tinsley responded that he was unaware of the lack of legal requirement.