1,700 WIN HOMES FIGHT BUT EXPANSION OF CREM STILL ON
Council wants to extend burial grounds into neighbouring field
COUNCIL leaders are set to press ahead with plans to expand a crematorium into public green space – but controversial proposals to use part of the site for housing have been scrapped.
More than 1,700 people objected to Newcastle Borough Council’s original proposals for the land off Chatterley Close in Bradwell last year.
The borough council is still looking to extend the burial grounds at Bradwell Crematorium into the neighbouring field, which will provide enough space for cremated remains for more than 40 years. According to a council report, the current facility is ‘at capacity’.
But the rest of the open space will now be used as a ‘carbon capture area’ with additional tree planting and continued public access. The existing children’s play area will also be retained.
At a meeting cabinet members were asked to agree to external consultants being hired to develop plans for the crematorium expansion, and for a planning application to be subsequently submitted. The report to cabinet states that the open space site is ‘ideal for the planting of further trees’ and that ‘plans need to be formed to ensure that planting maximises environmental benefits and supports local resident usage of the open space.’
Council leader Simon Tagg said: “Back in February we designated this land as one of the borough’s carbon capture areas. So part of the site will be used for the crematorium expansion, while the other half will be used for tree planting and protected for future generations.
“We took into account the concerns raised by local people over the proposed housing, as we have done with a number of other sites around the borough, including ones which were originally earmarked for housing by the previous Labour administration.
“I hope that the plans to expand the crematorium will be something that local residents can support. This will give us another 50 years of capacity at the crematorium.”
Andrew Fox-hewitt, Labour councillor for Bradwell, was among those who objected to the original plans for housing. He welcomed the revised proposals.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the council has seen sense following the significant opposition to the housing.
“There may be people who still have concerns over expanding the crematorium. But I would say that if they would like to have somewhere in the area to use as a final resting place for their loved ones, this is the way of achieving that.
“People will still be able to have their say during the planning process. I’ve always believed that local democracy should be about doing things with the community, rather than doing things to the community, and that people should see that their feedback can influence decisions.”