Plan for £5.5m crematorium upgrade moves forward

Two new electric cremating devices are proposed to replace a gas-powered operation

A multi-million-pound upgrade to Worcester's crematorium has moved a step closer to being realised.

Councillors voted unanimously earlier this year to back in principle the replacement of three gas-powered cremating devices at Astwood Crematorium.

The upgrade to two modern electric furnaces, at a cost of £5.5m, would save the council £20,000 a year in energy costs and would cut 18 per cent from its predicted carbon footprint.

But the scheme must first get planning permission and an early part of that process involves assessing whether the project is likely to have a significant environmental impact - a hurdle now cleared.

Worcester City Council is following a screening opinion that says the development would not have a significant effect and does not therefore require a separate Environmental Impact Assessment.

"There is no doubt that there are matters in relation to the potential development of the site for the intended purposes which may give rise to potential effects on the local environment.

"These will require further detailed assessment which would be expected to accompany any subsequent planning application which may be forthcoming," say city planners.

"Nevertheless, such matters taken individually and cumulatively are not considered to be so significant or beyond more than local in terms of potential impact."

The £5.5m will be partly funded by a £1.5m grant from Salix, a public body that awards government funds to help authorities reduce carbon emissions.

The move is part of a wider scheme to renovate the crematorium site, supported by the council's environment committee in July last year.

This includes a facelift for the front of the crematorium building that will cost an estimated £2.7m.

The work is scheduled to start in May next year and is likely to take about nine months to finish, during which time the crematorium will be closed to the public, although the cemetery will still be open for burials.

The city council said in the summer it was in talks to find another crematorium for families to use during the closure.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.