Council to look at replacing the city’s ‘tired’ 1950s crematorium
IT IS AMONG OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED
PLANS to build a new crematorium for Derby are being considered by council chiefs, it has been revealed.
Bereavement services bosses at Derby City Council told a meeting that a new crematorium is being considered as part of a review assessing the future of the “tired” Markeaton Crematorium, which was built in the 1950s.
There are also plans to create a new cemetery in Derby, as burial space at Nottingham Road Cemetery, in Chaddesden, is beginning to run low. Locations are yet to be revealed.
Currently Derby city has only one crematorium, but recently new modern facilities have been built in Derbyshire, including Amber Valley Memorial Park and Crematorium, in Alfreton, and Trent Valley Crematorium, in Aston-on-Trent.
The Derby Telegraph reported earlier this year that the city council was considering future options for Markeaton Crematorium. In March, the council said its officers were reviewing “what is needed in terms of improvement to maintain the excellent service the council provides”.
The ongoing review was discussed at length at a communities scrutiny board meeting on Monday, where councillors received an update on bereavement services.
Labour councillor for Abbey ward, Paul Hezelgrave, asked bosses if it was time to explore whether a new crematorium for the city was needed.
He said: “Isn’t the nettle that we need to grasp looking at building a new crematorium that would be more attractive for people and fit in better with the kind of way that funerals are conducted these days? I know it is a money-spinner for the council.”
Sheena Ratcliffe, acting bereavement services manager at Derby City Council, then revealed a new crematorium was being explored and details would be released at a future cabinet meeting.
She said: “That is something that is being considered as part of the review of bereavement services. “There is a report that is almost at the point to go to cabinet regarding the building of Markeaton Crematorium, whether it be a refurbishment or a new build.”
Fellow Labour councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, who has urged the council to act quickly on the review, then asked what the council’s recommendation is between refurbishment or a new build. Ms Ratcliffe said: “My personal preference would be a new build. I think the current crematorium layout is wrong. It was built in the 1950s, the second chapel was added on in the 1960s – it doesn’t work logistically.
“It is looking tired despite how much work we put into it. But it does have its positives that we would want to take over with us.”
Cabinet member for public spaces and Streetpride, Jerry Pearce, said he fully backed the plans for a new build with initial plans “in the process”.
He said: “I went to the crematorium last year and all of this is in the process of being done. Honestly, I back it 100 per cent but it’s funding and everything else.”
Ms Ratcliffe also said the council was looking to identify plots of land that could be used for new cemetery space. She added: “At the moment we are estimating 10 to 15 years maximum of burial space at Nottingham Road Cemetery. Then all the cemeteries we’ve got will be closed for new graves.
“So we have identified another area that hasn’t been passed as totally acceptable yet, but it will be incorporated into this review. It has had land testing done and is suitable – it’s whether we can plan the cemetery on that piece of land. It would be in the city boundary.”
Isn’t the nettle that we need to grasp looking at building a new crematorium? Cllr Paul Hezelgrave