A SEARCH for a new public cemetery is due to start in earnest to prevent a crisis in the supply of plots for graves.

Wyre Forest District Council was due last night to approve the release of £50,000 from its coffers to buy land for a municipal cemetery for the next century and beyond.

The present 158-year old Park Lane graveyard in Kidderminster is filling up fast and although there is no immediate problem the council needs to plan in advance.

It estimates it must find a suitable new plot within a year in order to have time to do the appropriate landscaping work.

Head of cultural, leisure and commercial services Andrew Dickens said the site would be at an edge-of-town development that would have to be well supplied by roads and public transport.

It would probably be a similar size to the Park Lane cemetery which sees an annual burial rate of 130 a year.

The council believes a new cemetery would offer the first opportunity for Wyre Forest to provide for green burials and also for special areas for Muslim and other religious group burials.

A green burial area would look like a field with trees planted in memory of the dead in place of the conventional headstone.

Mr Dickens said it was not possible to give a picture of the scheme because it would depend on what kind of land became available once the financial provision was in place.

The whole project is expected to cost about £350,000.

Other priorities in the council's latest "mini-budget" expected to come up for approval last night included provision for £40,000 expenditure on parks and open spaces and more than £25,000 in housing renovation grants which would be in addition to £150,000 already approved for 2000/1.

A £3,500 contribution to the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Retail Partnership for two years was also expected to be given the green light.