Urban expansion had meant that the old burial ground at the south end of Howe Street had become surrounded by houses and so could not be enlarged.

While the old cemetery was still used for the descendants of Nova Scotia and Maroon settlers, this was subsequently turned into a playground.

[1] Lee Karen Stow made similar complaints after visiting the cemetery in 2015.

However the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment has been issuing documents which legitimise otherwise illegal occupation of parts of the cemetery.

Although some fences had been erected, they were not sufficient to deter trespassing during the night after cemetery staff had gone home.