Gedling Cemetery & Crematorium
A planning application for a new cemetery and crematorium on the eastern edge of Nottingham has been submitted following consultation with local residents.
A need for a crematorium in this area has long been recognised and the location has been specifically chosen to provide a quiet and natural setting, ideally suited for funerals and a haven for wildlife. The facility will also relieve congestion on Nottingham’s two other crematoria including Bramcote which is one of the busiest in the country.
This facility and Wilford Hill have to serve a population of 718,000 in Nottinghamshire which often leads to delays of up to three weeks for funerals to be arranged. Residents of Gedling are also forced to travel more than 30 minutes in the funeral cortege to reach their nearest crematorium.
A new cemetery will be provided to the council as part of the scheme to save them the capital cost of developing their own facility and allowing them to set burial fees for their residents.
The design of the proposal has taken into account any potential impact on surrounding countryside by introducing sensitive landscaping and memorial gardens. The state of the art crematorium building – built in the local, rural style - will be positioned to sit down into the landscape/hill side to minimise views. It will be developed by Westerleigh Group, a specialist operator and developer of crematoria.
“If our plans are accepted then, for the first time, residents would have an accessible choice of where to hold a funeral service. The idea is to design the crematorium in a manner which will offer an appropriate atmosphere in which families can grieve in peaceful surroundings,” said Richard Evans, Managing Director of Westerleigh Group.
“We also want to make sure it is sensitively designed to complement the rural surroundings and an independent survey has shown that 78% of local residents support out plans.”
Phil Roan, a Funeral Director from Calverton, said: “Wilford Hill is an antiquated facility offering a service way below people’s expectations. Bramcote is better cared for but is tremendously busy. A new crematorium would resolve these problems by providing more choice and allowing people to have more dignified event.”
A number of the key documents are available to better illustrate the scheme.
Since submitting our plans, a local funeral director, A W Lymn, has rushed through plans for a futuristic crematorium in a neighbouring field. The site borders a conservation area and no consultation was carried out with local residents before hand to consider its impact on the local ecology. The applicant also has no experience of operating a crematorium and the design lacks many of the fundamental features needed to provide this sensitive service. Many of these problems are outlined in the letter below.
