Summary
It’s getting on for a century old, but Gloucester Crematorium is set to be brought up the latest green standards for cremation after city planners backed a £5m investment package for the landmark Coney Hill facility.
Details
A request for reconfiguration and extension at the site, including works to hard landscaping around the main building and additional outdoor planting and seating areas, can now go ahead after the bid was given the nod last week through a delegated decision.
The idea behind the work was first revealed back in April when Punchline-Gloucester.com questioned the council over its exactly plans for an earmarked budget allocation of £5m.
Given a near end-of-life verdict of the existing ones which are now 35 years old, the council said it hoped to install three new cremation furnaces at the site, along with new tech to ensure 100% emissions abatement and a heat exchange system.
The council also indicated it hoped that switching to agricultural biomethane during this financial year, along with a change to 100% renewably sourced energy (as per an authority-wide drive across the rest of the council’s estate), would ensure the crematorium met the highest green standards.
Cllr Declan Wilson, Deputy Cabinet Leader (Lib Dem, Hucclecote) said : “Chances to invest in crematorium facilities don’t come along very often, typically only once in a generation, so it’s something we’re genuinely pleased to be able to do.” He added: “It allows us to improve the experience for families, while also making sure the service continues to meet the strict national standards that apply to crematoria now and well into the future.” In detail, visitors to the site, which covers 9,645 sqm and sits in 65 acres of park and woodland, look likely to have a more easy experience, the key changes being: A new viewing room for families, alongside a new book of remembrance room.
A new reception and office, as well as a funeral directors’ and bearers’ waiting area. A new covered garden zone. Increased parking on site.
Additionally, the exit of the chapel will also be pedestrianised, allowing another access road for funeral cars only to “ensure better traffic management and safety of mourners”.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester
