Bid to build Sikh and Hindu crematorium turned down

A planning application sought to demolish a 19th Century farmhouse and replace it with a new centre for Hindu and Sikh funerals

A bid to create a new crematorium for Hindu and Sikh funerals has been turned down by councillors.

Applicants CDS Group applied for planning permission to demolish a late 19th Century farmhouse and outbuildings in East Scraptoft.

The application, planned for Scraptoft Lodge Farm in Keyham Lane, attracted 56 letters of support and 30 objections, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But the proposal was refused by a planning committee at Harborough District Council on the grounds that the development would be too large and not fit in with the surrounding area.

CDS's application included two chapels, which would have held six ceremonies a day between them.

Supporters of the bid said it would foster inclusivity, but opponents raised objections about the design, parking and any extra traffic funeral processions would create.

Councillors voted to refuse the application, saying any of the benefits associated with the proposed development would not outweigh the harm it would do to the area.