Crematorium is on target for reopening fully by next month

An extensive refurbishment at Perth Crematorium is on schedule to finish in the coming weeks.

The £2.2 million job got under way at the Crieff Road site last summer.

The work aims to improve comfort for mourners, as well as ensure emissions from cremators comply with strict regulations.

It is the centre’s biggest overhaul since its launch in 1962.

Earlier this week, the ongoing construction work was partly blamed for delays at the crematorium in Dundee.

Operators Dignity PLC said there were no available slots between now and the end of January, with families facing waits of around two weeks.

The usual time from date-ofdeath to cremation is 10 days.

Dignity PLC said an increase in the number of people dying in the winter had also been a contributing factor.

Although closed to services, cremations continue to be held in Perth apart from during an eightweek period before Christmas when the new cremators were installed.

Perth and Kinross Council said it had not experienced any hold-ups in recent weeks.

A spokeswoman said: “Perth Crematorium has not been affected by delays and has been undertaking cremations at normal capacity since the end of November 2017.

“Work at the facility is expected to be completed by early February and it will then be fully open for services and cremations.”

Funeral directors and other local groups worked to ensure that the upheaval didn’t cause too much upset for grieving families.

Cremation charges were also dropped during the operation.

The Book of Remembrance was relocated to the library at the North Inch Community Campus so people could still view the entries.

The work was timed to coincide with the creation of the new A9/A85 link road.

The route, part of the first phase of the £35m Perth Transport Futures Project, is being built on land between the crematorium and McDiarmid Park.

The new road is expected to be open in the spring.