3 hours Ago
The new facility, in Chingford Mount Cemetery, was green-lit by Waltham Forest Council on January 14 after years of planning. The £10.9million scheme will comprise a 569sqm building including a waiting area, family viewing area, chapel, crematorium space and office.
Its electric design will help reduce the borough’s carbon footprint, the town hall says. Over the past two years, the budget for the project has risen from £8.3m as both the scope of the designs and construction costs have increased.
Benefits of the scheme include easing funeral logistics, accommodating residents of diverse beliefs, reducing traffic and boosting the town hall’s income, according to a previous council report. At the current rate of burials, the cemetery is projected to run out of space in about eight years. But despite the reported benefits, 18 objections to the project were formally lodged with the council.
Conservative councillor Catherine Saumarez said there was “a lot of consternation and anxiety” surrounding the scheme. She said the five neighbouring streets were all concerned over “toxic emissions further deteriorating their air quality” and “causing unpleasant smells”. A fellow resident and representative of the Chingford Residents Association said the setting was “not appropriate”.
She said it was not suitable for people “to burn their dead within sight of their homes, their parks, and of their schools”. A planning officer said that trees in the cemetery would help to screen the facility from public view. Though residents were concerned, committee chair Andrew Dixon said the increase in parking and traffic would be “negligible”.
The number of cremations in England has increased substantially since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21. Cut-price direct cremations have gone from representing 3 per cent of all funerals in 2019 to one in five funerals in 2023. The rising cost of funerals has played a key part, according to the Local Government Association.
As the plans were put forward by the council, they needed to be determined by a committee of councillors. The proposals had also generated an “extensive amount” of public interest, the committee said. Construction of the new crematorium is slated to begin this year.
It is expected to be up and running by 2026..
