Subscribe to our Construction Newsfeed
UK Construction Directory
Search our 157,533 companies....

Construction News

16/08/2021

Plans Submitted For Ecological Crematorium

Construction News Image
A planning application for an ecological crematorium in East Cambridgeshire has been submitted.

The application will now go through the planning process which includes documents being validated.

The crematorium is proposed to be sited on the land which previously was used by Mepal Outdoor Centre. Following the closure of the centre in December 2016, the site was subject to multiple arson and vandalism incidents.

However, parts of the site have since been able to flourish, becoming home to locally and nationally important wildlife and biodiversity. This natural transformation means that its future use must respect and enhance the evolved ecological needs of the site.

The submission of the planning application follows a public survey which was undertaken at the start of 2021, inviting residents' thoughts about the proposed plans. As part of the planning application, a formal consultation process will now take place.
-- Advertisement --
hss



The application includes a main chapel and a small side chapel, an electric cremator emitting significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than other crematoria in the East of England, natural burial plots, a modular function building for the natural burial aspect, a pet cemetery located away from the other facilities and one acre of new planting including 57 new trees and 40 fruit trees.

Councillor Anna Bailey, Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "Firstly I would like to thank residents for taking part in our survey on the proposals. We made a commitment to engage with communities on our proposals and we are now moving to the next step of consultation, through the planning application process.

"As well as providing a facility for residents that currently doesn’t exist in the district, we have been working to ensure that the proposal reflects our environmental vision for the district.

"This not only includes protecting the ecology that has flourished over the past 4 years but creating a proposal which is an exemplar sustainable development and gives back to the site through additional planting and ongoing sensitive management to enrich the area.

"We are also making good on our promise to deliver the maximum level of public access for recreational use of the site, which, as advised by The Wildlife Trust need to be low impact in order to respect and protect the wildlife and biodiversity that is flourishing there; I am pleased that the site will be available for dog walking, bird watching and fishing."

The proposed crematorium development, which will be confined to the existing footprint of buildings on the site, and other associated uses are not anticipated to result in any significant adverse residual effects to identified ecological assets which have been found as part of the Council’s ecology and biodiversity studies.

Latest Construction News

25/07/2025
Preparatory works are underway for the construction of a new world-class higher education campus in Blackpool town centre, as part of a major investment into the area's regeneration. The Multiversity campus for Blackpool and The Fylde College will bring up to 3,000 students and staff to a purpose-b
25/07/2025
InstaVolt has signed a 40-year lease to develop a new 30-bay ultra-rapid charger superhub on the A303 in Wiltshire, complete with a large café and farm shop provided by one of the UK's leading operators. The new facility aims to serve both long-distance travellers and the local community with prem
25/07/2025
Balfour Beatty has announced the appointment of Richard Watts who will join the Group later this year, becoming Managing Director of its UK Rail business in January 2026. Richard has 20 years' experience in the rail sector, providing transformative and innovative solutions to longstanding industry
25/07/2025
Major improvement works are set to begin this summer at Longport railway station in Stoke-on-Trent, as Network Rail invests £1.4 million to upgrade the station’s footbridge and staircases. The footbridge will be closed from Monday 4 August to Friday 10 October, allowing engineers to carry out essen
25/07/2025
Galliford Try's Building North East and Yorkshire division has successfully handed over the newly built Great Park Academy, a 1,200-place secondary school in Newcastle Great Park. Delivered on behalf of the Department for Education, the state-of-the-art facility will officially open its doors in Se
25/07/2025
VolkerFitzpatrick has been named the principal contractor for Arrow Point Bolton, a landmark 327,000 sq ft speculative logistics development by Arrow Capital Partners, situated just north of Manchester. The scheme, which secured planning approval in January 2025, will feature two state-of-the-art l
25/07/2025
The construction industry is under renewed scrutiny as efforts ramp up to tackle one of its most sobering challenges: mental health and suicide prevention. A new British Standard (BS 30480), the
25/07/2025
A £6.9 million transformation of a derelict historic building into Bradford College's state-of-the-art Garden Mills facility has earned recognition across the UK property and construction sectors, with the project named a finalist in three prestigious awards. The extensive refurbishment of the five
25/07/2025
A major new housing development in Ashtead has been granted planning permission by Mole Valley District Council (MVDC). The scheme, brought forward in partnership by Wates Developments and Vistry Group, will deliver up to 270 net-zero carbon ready homes alongside extensive green space and communit
25/07/2025
Beard is reinforcing its commitment to workforce development with the launch of its business-wide expertise building initiative, Skills to Build. As building projects and procurement routes become more complex and the construction sector increasingly regulated, the expectations for project teams an
This web site uses cookies to improve your experience and by viewing our content you accept their use. Click here to remove this notice.
Efco UK LtdAqua Direct LtdLakeside HireSDS London LimitedGLW Engineering & Construction LtdInsulation Store OnlineProudlock Associates LtdUK Shelving LtdPermaroof UK LtdYorkshire Landscapes Ltd