This is not the first time that the Calderstones Cemetery in Mitton Road, Whalley, has been put on the market.
In this latest sale, offers were invited for the site in the region of 80,000, but the final purchase price is being kept under wraps by estate agents Knightsbridge Business Sales, of Bolton.
A spokesman for the firm, who confirmed that the site had been sold in September, was unable to shed any light on either the purchaser, other than to say it was a private individual, or the final sale figure.
He added that an advert, stating that the privately-owned cemetery was up for sale, appeared in publications including the Funeral Service Journal and said: This is a very unusual sale. We sell quite a lot of different types of business, but this is the first cemetery I have sold. They dont come on the market very often.
The Whalley graveyard first went up for sale four years ago when it went under the auctioneer's hammer in Manchester. It was put on the market by the NHS, who had sold the surrounding part of the estate.
At the time health officials allayed residents fears that bodies would be exhumed and consecrated land turned into housing, saying that as the site was consecrated land it could not be used for any other purpose.War graves located within the cemetery were not put up for sale as they belonged to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Two years later, in 2002, the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times reported that extensive work was being carried out in the cemetery and three months later, in July of that year, Ribble Valley Remembrance Park was created in the rural site. It was being run by Mr Colin Arkwright, whose plans for the site included a special section where people could be buried alongside their pets.
Whalley councillor Joyce Holgate said rumour was rife in the village that a London firm had bought the cemetery, which still has plenty of space available for burials. However, she did not know if there was any truth to the rumour. I just hope that the new owner will keep the cemetery up to a good standard, said Coun. Holgate. The war graves are beautifully kept and I would like to see the rest of the site maintained to that standard.
A spokesman for Ribble Valley Borough Councils planning department confirmed that the site could not be used as development land for a range of reasons. In particular, it lies outside the settlement boundary of Whalley and there is currently a moratorium on any new housing developments in the Ribble Valley.