Work to begin on crematorium in village

An artist's impression of the planned crematorium in East Cambridgeshire

Work on a new crematorium in a village will begin next month after a contractor was appointed to deliver the project.

Kier Construction will build the bereavement centre in Mepal, East Cambridgeshire, which will include a graveyard, remembrance garden, function room, memorial walkway and pet cemetery.

East Cambridgeshire District Council said the crematorium near Ely will run on electricity, meaning it can be operated on a green energy tariff.

Its Conservative administration has, though, faced opposition to the plans from Liberal Democrat councillors who called the £13m project a "white elephant" and launched a petition opposing it.

Party leader Lorna Dupré said she was "not convinced that it is the role of a council to build and run commercial facilities in order to compete with established private providers in a challenging market".

A nearby crematorium on Knights End Road in March is already "well-established" and can "easily afford to respond to the price war that the council is proposing to launch against them," she said.

Council leader Anna Bailey said the project will provide "social value" to the district through "the creation of local jobs through the build phase, volunteering and using local suppliers and supply chains".

She previously said that "being able to say goodbye to a loved one in such a beautiful and tranquil lakeside setting that not only protects, but enhances, wildlife, is something this council is very proud to be able to deliver".

The new crematorium will be built on the site of the former Mepal Outdoor Centre, which closed in 2017 after a fire, with access from the A142 north of the site.

Planning documents suggest the new crematorium will have the capacity for 108 visitors, while there will be parking on site for 123 vehicles.