Worcester Crematorium is set to become the first in the West Midlands to install electric cremators, following the approval of planning permission for a major refurbishment.
The existing three gas-powered cremators will now be replaced with two electric models, as part of a broader scheme that will also include a refurbished chapel and a new roof with solar panels.
Welcoming the good news, Worcester City Council Leader Councillor Lynn Denham said: “I am grateful to the Planning Committee for granting permission for this very important scheme.
“Our city’s crematorium is an important service that is valued and loved by residents throughout Worcester and beyond. The aim of this refurbishment is to make it an even better place to hold the memories and honour the lives of our loved ones.
“At the centre of the refurbishment will be the first electric cremators in the West Midlands. 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.
“We will also have solar panels attached to the new roof, sustainable energy in use throughout the building and improved biodiversity in the surrounding cemetery grounds – the high standards of which have already won the prestigious Green Flag award.
“Taken together, all these improvements mean that – when it reopens next year – Worcester will have the greenest crematorium in the West Midlands.”
Work on the refurbishment is scheduled to start in August, and is due to last for around nine months. The Crematorium building will be closed during that time, but the Cemetery grounds will remain open.
The key features of the Astwood Crematorium refurbishment are:
- Two new electric cremators installed to replace the current three gas-powered ones
- Refurbishment of the chapel, with new furniture, fittings and equipment
- A new chapel garden, with a Japanese theme
- An extension to the window area that looks out from the chapel to that garden, bringing in more natural light and making the new garden more of a focal point
- Landscaping improvements to boost biodiversity at the Green Flag award-winning cemetery grounds
- A heat recovery system, to make the building as energy-efficient as possible
- A new thermally-improved roof for the entire building
- Electric charging points in two parking bays
- Photovoltaic solar panels on the new roof, to further improve the building’s efficiency
- Associated structural enabling work to support the installation of the new cremators.
The refurbishment project will receive a £1.49 million grant awarded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This supports energy-efficiency projects, and is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix.
Arrangements are being developed to allow funeral services to continue to be held in Worcester while the refurbishment is carried out. More information about these will be announced in the near future.
