New crematorium plan outlined in Denbighshire

Plans for a new crematorium in Denbighshire have been outlined.

The company behind the scheme at Glascoed Road in St Asaph currently runs a facility in Cardiff.

Memoria Ltd said the five-acre site in St Asaph was ideal as it was hundreds of yards from the nearest home yet close enough to centres of population.

The three existing crematoria used by people in north east Wales - at Colwyn Bay, Wrexham and Chester - are all extremely busy.

At peak periods between November and February there can be a three-week wait for funerals.

"This application has arisen out of recognition by crematorium operators, local funeral directors and clergy that there is a need to make provision for a crematorium in the locality," said planning consultant Kris Mitra.

Memoria Ltd also said there was a growing demand for larger coffins, some of which could not be handled at the existing crematoria, which meant funerals had to be held outside the area.

In 2011 there were 1,689 cremations in Colwyn Bay, 1,910 in Chester and 2,027 in Wrexham.

The St Asaph facility, with a population of almost 81,000 within 30 minutes of the site, is projected to have 1,159 cremations a year, rising to 1,323 by 2033.

The company behind the plans is also involved in three other schemes in England.