Bradford Council starts work on city's new crematorium

Site of the new crematorium, off Shetcliffe Lane

Work has got under way to create a new "environment-friendly" crematorium in Bradford.

The site in Bierley will replace the existing facility at Scholemoor.

Bradford Council said its existing facilities were past their recommended life span and did not meet modern environmental standards.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby said the authority's plan was to "create a modern, sustainable and environment-friendly bereavement service".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the new crematorium, off Shetcliffe Lane, will have new service halls including a small venue for intimate services of around 25-30 people, a large hall for 250-300 people, car parking, new cremators, office space and a waiting room.

Plans for the crematorium were approved in 2021 despite a large number of objections from residents who feared the facility would lead to traffic problems, spoil the landscape and increase pollution.

Artist's impression of the finished crematorium

Legal restrictions on where crematoria can be built - not within 200 yards of a home and 50 yards of a public road - meant there were few sites in Bradford where the new facilities could be built, a meeting heard back in 2020.

Site preparation was now under way, Bradford Council confirmed.

Last year another new crematorium in Heaton, Shay Grange, opened to replace Nab Wood Crematorium.

Both developments form part of Bradford Council's Bereavement Services Strategy, which aims to modernise and upgrade the district's cemeteries and crematoria.

New emissions rules meant much bigger cremation ovens were required.

The Muslim burial ground at Scholemoor Cemetery has also been extended and an extension to the burial provision at Bowling Cemetery is under way.

Work on the Bierley site is expected to finish in 2025. Once open, Scholemoor Crematorium will close, but the cemetery will remain open.