Latest news with #crematorium
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Havelock North residents consider legal options to stop Crematorium from being built
A group of Havelock North residents say building a crematorium in the middle of the village is distasteful and they plan to fight it. Photo: LDR/Supplied A group of Havelock North residents are considering legal action in a last-ditch bid to prevent a crematorium being built in the middle of the village. Lawyers say the only avenue open to them is to get the 2024 resource consents, issued by Hawke's Bay Regional Council and the Hastings District Council, overturned. Hastings District Council says the application to include a crematorium at the existing Terry Longley and Sons funeral home in Cooper Street, over the road from the New World supermarket, was carefully assessed. Resource consent required an air discharge consent from HBRC, and a land use consent from HDC. A Hastings council spokesperson said its resource consent department determined that when measured against the criteria, the proposed crematorium's adverse land use effects on the environment would be "less than minor". That meant that notification of the community was not required. A spokesperson from the Havelock North group Andrew Fulford said they would be focusing on fighting the fact the consent was non-notified. "To slip it through without communicating with the community - unnotified - that's the point we would go to court with," Fulford said. "We haven't decided yet if we will continue with the legal pathway, because of the potential cost," he said. "It's a lot of money but it's not out of the realms of possibility. We have had some generous support." He said one option was to apply for an injunction, which meant if the crematorium were to go ahead, any work would be at Terry Longley and Sons' own risk. The Havelock North group, who met with Hastings District Council last month, claimed building a crematorium in the middle of the village was "distasteful". Local Democracy Reporting contacted Terry Longley & Sons for comment but they "politely declined to comment". Montage of the proposed cremator's flue as seen from New World's access to Cooper Street, Havelock North. Photo: LDR/Supplied At a public meeting called by the funeral home in late March, general manager Terry Longley said they had looked at alternative sites, including ones in Napier, Omahu and the Tukituki Valley with no luck, so had turned their attention back to Havelock North. There are only two crematoriums in Hawke's Bay, serving a population of 180,000. There is a need for another, with Hastings District Council's crematorium at Hastings Cemetery nearing 100 percent capacity. The other is a private facility also near Hastings Cemetery. Longley said the alternative would likely be cremations taking place in Taupō, Gisborne or Palmerston North. Councillor Henry Heke, who attended the meeting, said he agreed the community should be heard and that a Crematorium in Havelock North village was not ideal. "It has so many perceived risks," Heke said. "But owners have the right, as they went through a process they believe to be the correct. "I, however, believe that possibly the zoning could have been reviewed or the community around the industrial area consulted on changes in the area. "I do support the development of a new crematorium, but I don't support the current proposed location." The council spokesperson said the council understood there were some concerns within the community. "However the Resource Consent has been approved (within the regulatory framework per the requirements of the Resource Management Act 1991) and therefore there is no formal opportunity to oppose the granting of consent. "The only party able to decide whether to proceed or not with the consented project is the business which holds the consent, in this case Terry Longley & Sons." The funeral home is owned by Australian company Propel Funeral Partners Ltd (Havelock North) which also owns two other Hawke's Bay funeral companies Tong and Peryer Funeral Directors (Hastings), as well as Howard and Gannon Funerals (Taradale). The resource consent for the site was first issued in 2015, but lapsed in 2017. Since then a New World supermarket has been built across the road. The crematorium would have a 14m chimney, clad in stainless steel, the only feature visible beyond the site. The resource consent said there would be no visible particles, smoke or haze emitted from the cremator and the cremator's heat, which created a shimmer, was all that would be seen above the chimney. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Urgent £640k repairs needed at crematorium
Urgent repairs costing about £640,000 are needed at a town's crematorium, according to a report. Problems with machinery at Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon, Wiltshire, began in 2022, when the heat exchanger, which cools the air leaving the three cremators so it can be filtered before exiting the building through its flues, failed. Since then, its flues and filtration system has also failed, with work also needed on the building's large canopy, cladding and tiles. Councillor Kevin Small, cabinet member for finance, is set to ask senior councillors to approve the budget for the work. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if approved, the council will need to borrow the money. The report also said the failure of some of the parts had caused the council financial loss, with the council paying a fine of £45,000 per year because of the release of unfiltered gases. It also said repairs to fencing were needed at Whitworth Road Cemetery. "The cost of the repairs to the flues and filtration system is dependent on the scheduling of works as there are options around how the work is carried out," the report said. Taking the facility out of action could cost the council a significant sum, it said. The crematorium is expected to return a £730,000 surplus to the authority's finances in this financial year, but it only made that last year because there was a big underspend on repairs and maintenance. If councillors approve the borrowing of £640,000, the council expects to pay back £80,000 per year for 10 years. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Grieving families angry at state of cemetery Plans for natural burial site for 2,000 graves Local Democracy Reporting Service Swindon Borough Council
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Urgent £640k repairs needed at Swindon crematorium, says report
Urgent repairs costing about £640,000 are needed at a town's crematorium, according to a with machinery at Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon, Wiltshire, began in 2022, when the heat exchanger, which cools the air leaving the three cremators so it can be filtered before exiting the building through its flues, then, its flues and filtration system has also failed, with work also needed on the building's large canopy, cladding and Kevin Small, cabinet member for finance, is set to ask senior councillors to approve the budget for the work. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if approved, the council will need to borrow the report also said the failure of some of the parts had caused the council financial loss, with the council paying a fine of £45,000 per year because of the release of unfiltered also said repairs to fencing were needed at Whitworth Road Cemetery."The cost of the repairs to the flues and filtration system is dependent on the scheduling of works as there are options around how the work is carried out," the report the facility out of action could cost the council a significant sum, it crematorium is expected to return a £730,000 surplus to the authority's finances in this financial year, but it only made that last year because there was a big underspend on repairs and councillors approve the borrowing of £640,000, the council expects to pay back £80,000 per year for 10 years.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Worcester Crematorium to close for nine months for refurbishment
Worcester Crematorium is set to close for nine months after plans for a major refurbishment were scheme will see three gas-powered cremators replaced with electric models, with the aim of making the site the "greenest crematorium" in the West is scheduled to start in August and is due to last for nine months, with the crematorium building closed but cemetery grounds remaining open throughout the were being made to allow funeral services to continue to be held in Worcester while the refurbishment was carried out, Worcester City Council said. Council leader Lynn Denham said the aim of the refurbishment was to make it an "even better place" to hold memories and honour the lives of loved ones."At the centre of the refurbishment will be the first electric cremators in the West Midlands," she explained."In fact, after Lambeth in London we will be only the second local authority-owned crematorium in the whole of the UK to make the move from gas to electricity."Planning permission for the scheme was granted by the local authority on the plans, the chapel would be refurbished with new furniture, fittings and council said the scheme also included a new heat recovery system and roof with solar panels, as well as electric charging points for vehicles and a chapel garden."Taken together, all these improvements mean that when it reopens next year, Worcester will have the greenest crematorium in the West Midlands," Denham project will also receive a £1.4m grant through the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which supports energy-efficient projects. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Mepal bereavement centre is approved by councillors
Councillors have paved the way for a new bereavement centre to be built on the grounds of a former outdoor activity Mepal Outdoor Centre near Ely was closed following a fire in at the Conservative-controlled East Cambridgeshire District Council approved a business case for the bereavement centre at a meeting on the project has been opposed by some residents and opposition Liberal Democrats who have criticised an increase in costs. The council says the centre will include a crematorium, natural burial area, pet cemetery, a function room for wakes, a memorial tributes walkway and a remembrance will be set within flower meadows and woodland walks, with views overlooking a site will be "skilfully developed to enhance the significant biodiversity and ecology" - the council says - and it is working with the Wildlife Trust because of a number of "endangered plants and animals" in the area. A petition against the plans was set up by the Liberal Democrats who said it was a "grotesque waste of money" and pointed out it was only 12 miles away from another crematorium in the town of also criticised the cost of the scheme, which has risen from £8.2m to £13m, and said developers could be spending the money Dupre, who leads the opposition group of councillors, said she did not believe it was a suitable site for a bereavement centre."Many residents have commented on the smell from the enormous next-door biodigester on the A142, and the thundering of the aggregate lorries from the gravel extraction sites across the road." Anna Bailey, the Conservative leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said she was "delighted that after many, many years of planning, work is finally able to begin on the bereavement centre"."Being able to say goodbye to a loved one in such a beautiful and tranquil lakeside setting – that not only protects, but enhances wildlife, is something this council is very proud to be able to deliver," said said it was important the council invested in the "future of our community" as soon as possible, because the local authority is due to be dissolved within the next three are expected to be dismantled and replaced by larger local authorities as part of a major shake-up of local government. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
