Man who visits twin's grave five times a day protests against cemetery housing plans

A man who has visited Kingston Cemetery five times a day for the last 28 years is protesting against housing at St Mary’s Lodge.

Paul Newman, who was born and bred in Portsmouth, demonstrated outside Kingston Cemetery from 7am on Wednesday (June 10), opposing recent plans to convert St Mary’s Lodge into two homes. He is also at the cemetery today, protesting and collecting signatures for a petition.

Plans were submitted by the Portsmouth Community Housing Trust (PCHT) to turn the Grade II listed lodge, which was originally built for staff, into two family homes.

Mr Newman has been visiting the cemetery five times a day for the last 28 years to visit his twin brother’s grave who died 28 years ago. Ricky Newman died in 1998, aged 21. He was found outside Havant & Waterlooville Football Club Social Club having suffered a blow to the head. An inquest into his death recorded an open verdict.

Paul said he “feels strongly” that private tenants shouldn’t be allowed to live within the site “unless they work for the cemetery”.

He said that the community’s “loved ones are in there” and that private tenants living in the site would be “disrespectful” to the deceased and would “cross a line”.

He said on Wednesday that he had garnered 500 signatures in a day while sat outside the St Mary’s Road Gate. He has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a wheelchair.

He supported older plans to turn the lodge into a café/tearoom, which was rejected by Portsmouth City Council – only for it to allow plans for housing to progress a year later.

Daisy Newman, Paul’s daughter, said: “As a young person, this cemetery is very important to me and my family. My grandparents are buried here, and I visit their graves to remember them and pay my respects.

“The cemetery is a place of peace, reflection, and remembrance for many families, not a location for private housing.

“Cemeteries should remain places dedicated to remembrance and respect for those visiting and attending funerals.”

The council has previously clarified that the lodge has been used for private residents in the past and that residents would be consulted as part of the application.

It added that the lodge and the land it sits on is owned by the council, and its focus is to secure the lodge’s “long-standing residential use, providing homes for local families”.

Despite owning the lodge and the land, the council’s planning committee and its overall planning department will determine the application independently.

A PCHT spokesperson previously said that they are “aware of the sensitivities” of developing the site but they are confident it “can be done with very little impact on the cemetery itself”.

The petition is also available to sign at the family’s firm Pam’s Artistic Florist, which is in New Road.