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Crematorium plans

The last time we designed a new cemetery it was the early 1900s and so this new crematorium is not going to be an every day project...

We have worked with two local companies, AECOM and Stride Treglown, to create the plans for this big investment into our services for the bereaved. 

Crematoria design across Europe have changed dramatically over the last century.  Our diverse communities have varying needs and these days the requests for the service of remembrance, celebration or procession are often very personal.  As such, buildings are now being constructed in a range of ways from grand statements of memorialisation to interesting pieces of sculpture in the landscape. 

Watch the video below for a preview of what the buildings could look like and then click on the drops downs for more information


 

Where is the site?

The new facility will be set in 17 acres of countryside on the eastern edge of the city, off Merafield Road near the Stag Lodge entrance to Saltram Park. 

Crematorium location plan showing red dot to east of drake memorial park

The site is gently sloping and south facing with views over towards Saltram Park, Staddon Heights and Dunstone Woods in the distance. The area is accessible from the north via Cot Hill in Plympton and from the South via Haye Road in Plymstock.  In the future with eastern corridor infrastructure improvements planned there will also be a route available from the A38 as part of the Sherford development. 

What will the ceremony spaces and buildings be like?

Inspired by the landscape and local materials the building will nestle into the slope of the site with an interesting roof line as you move around the site. There will be water pooled around the building.  Plymouth Limestone will be used and windows will provide lots of light and views out over the water and the landscape beyond.

The designs for the new crematorium have been developed with insights from the public and the funeral industry, after an extensive consultation exercise over the last few years.

An image showing how Plymouth's new crematorium will look

Reflective spaces will be created for memorials and scatterings alongside landscaping that embraces the local environment and ecology. It is also hoped that a green burial option will be available at the new site.

Inside, light and open ceremony spaces with large windows are in keeping with the desire to provide a modern quality facility.An image showing designs for the inside of Plymouth's new crematorium

Furthermore, a café, located on the site but away from the main crematorium building, is included in the project. The café will be open to serve refreshments for people attending funerals and also for people visiting the site to pay their respects. There will also be a facility that families can hire for wakes.

 

What will be there?

We offer a professional and caring service to thousands of families each year and have seen that funerals are more and more personalised, with people giving their loved one a send-off to suit them.

We want to create two high-quality, modern ceremony rooms that are flexible and allow people to plan a funeral that reflects their wishes.  Purpose built facilities will be accessible and sensitive to the differing needs of our customers, their faiths, tradition and preferences.  Modern crematoria developments make use of natural light, views to the landscape and usually have  flexible seating rather than fixed pews. 

This new site will offer the opportunity to design greatly improved facilities and will hopefully include a café so that families can meet before or after services.  The cafe building would also have potential to include a function suite for wakes.

In the grounds we will make use of the local features such as the Devon Hedges and improve the stream that runs from north to south.  There will be separate procession routes for each ceremony space with accompanying parking.  We will create scattering areas, wild flower sections, space for living memorial trees to be planted and hopefully the city's first green burials (subject to ground conditions).  The intention will be to compliment the setting and provide reflective green spaces for remembrance.  

 

What about behind the scenes?

State of the art cremators with modern environmental protection systems will be installed that will reduce the carbon footprint and emissions.  Part of the reason that new cremators need more space (than we have at Efford and Weston Mill) is because they have bigger filtration systems.  Modern cremators abate mercury emissions 100% which will be a big improvement on the unabated equipment currently in use at Efford and Weston Mill.


Crematoria are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (2010) with strict emissions limits and annual inspections.  Installing new cremators will mean that we are doing more than the current 50% requirement of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA1990) regarding mercury abatement. 

Floor plans