Plymouth's brand new crematorium has hit a significant construction milestone with the steel frame for the main building beginning to take shape.
Over the past week, many tonnes of steel have arrived at the site off Merafield Road, on the eastern side of the city. The steel was supplied from local Devon fabricators and is now being lifted into place.
It follows months of work on site by contractors Kier with roads and car parks now in place and the groundworks for the main building nearly complete.
Councillor Pat Patel, Cabinet member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure & Sport, said: “It is so exciting to see the progress being made on site and watch as the build progresses from plans on a page to bricks and mortar in the ground.
"This crematorium is a once in a generation investment for the Council and I'm ever so proud to be involved in delivering it for the people of Plymouth."
Doug Lloyd, Regional Director at Kier, said: “We are thrilled to have reached such a significant milestone in the construction of this high-quality crematorium.
“This project will provide an important service for the people of Plymouth and the surrounding communities and, as a business who have been based in Plymouth for over 80 years, we are incredibly proud to be part of it.
“We are committed to ensuring that the project has a positive impact on the local economy and we look forward to working with the project team and Building Plymouth to provide opportunities for local SMEs, apprentices, T level support and work experience for local schools and colleges.”
The new crematorium, which will open in 2024, has designs inspired by the landscape, the buildings will nestle into the slope of the site and will be surrounded by pooled water. Plymouth Limestone is being used on the façade with windows providing lots of light and stunning views out over the water, and the local Devonshire scenery and beyond.
Outside, reflective spaces, designed for memorialisation and scatterings will embrace the local environment and ecology.
In addition, the site will benefit from a new café, which will be open all day to serve refreshments for people attending funerals and also for those visiting the site to pay their respects. It will also be available for families to hire for wakes.
When the new crematorium is built, it will replace existing facilities at Efford and Weston Mill, which will continue to be active for burial and memorials.
More information on plans for the new crematorium can be found here – www.plymouth.gov.uk/futurecrem