HUNDREDS of bodies will be exhumed under plans to build a £1.3m community centre in a churchyard.

The remains of almost 900 people buried in the grounds of Christ Church, in Ashton under Lyne, will be moved if the project gets the green light.

A total of 240 graves - containing the remains of 880 people - will have to be moved to another part of the churchyard to make way for the lottery-backed 4C community centre project.

The graves, on the church site between Oldham Road and Taunton Road, were grassed over in 1973, so none of those earmarked for relocation have gravestones. Most date from before 1900 with about a dozen from 1930 to 1958.

The plans have sparked controversy among locals, who are being asked to take part in a consultation process before full planning permission is granted.

But church leaders say the project has community support and insist that strict CofE guidelines will be adhered to, ensuring the exhumations are carried out with `dignity, respect and the full blessing of the church'.

Susan Knight, chair of the Ashton civic society, said: "We've always said we think the church is a nice site and this will spoil it - our opinions haven't changed.

"If I had relatives buried there I would be very concerned - when people are laid to rest you expect it to be just that, their final resting place.

"You don't expect that to be disturbed. Possibly there is a need for a community centre but I don't know that this is the right place."

It is expected to take a week to move the remains. Each reburial will be accompanied by prayers and a rededication service, with a memorial stone put up to mark the new burial area.

The community centre plans, which have received planning consent but are still subject to full approval, moved a step closer this week after winning a £500,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Church and project leaders say it will be an important resource, providing a hall, cafe area, kitchen, bar and meeting rooms for local residents.

Chair of the project, Jonathan Hindle, said the lottery grant was `great news' and added: "This is a chance to give Ashton a legacy that will last for generations and will be highly sustainable in its construction and use."

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