Delay in redevelopment of crematorium a ‘disgrace’, says Beattie

The delay in redeveloping the crematorium in Belfast is causing “great damage” to bereaved people, the chair of the All Party Group on Funerals and Bereavement has said.

Belfast City Council revealed its plan for a new £18m crematorium at Roselawn in 2021.

Doug Beattie said: “Belfast and Northern Ireland deserves a crematorium that is fit for the future and we can be proud of yet the council is continually kicking it into the long grass,” he said.

Belfast City Council has said elected members are “considering options in relation to the new crematorium at Roselawn Cemetery”.

The crematorium opened in 1961 and was expected to handle 700 cremations a year, but demand has grown in the UK and there is limited availability in Northern Ireland.

The plan was for a new building to open in 2024.

The proposal for the crematorium included two ceremony rooms, each seating up to 200 people.

The plans are to furbish the building in buff and cream brick, timber and polished concrete.

The two new ceremony rooms would each overlook a landscaped courtyard.

Each room would have its own waiting area and toilet facilities.

Beattie said planning permission for the development, which would include another service chapel, was granted in 2023 yet further feasibility studies have been ordered.

He said the All Party Group can see no justification for more feasibility studies.

He said: “It’s been nearly 10 years since we first heard that the crematorium was going to be redeveloped, and two years since planning permission was granted, yet we are no further forward.

“We need to know what the justification for this latest study is and more importantly when a final decision is going to be made on this project.

“It’s a disgrace that this is taking so long and the amount of taxpayers’ money being spent on all these studies and discussions needs to be made clear.

“The human side of this is that it is causing great damage to bereaved people, who are seeing the time between death and funeral grow because of increasing demand for cremation, and have to suffer shorter services to say goodbye to their loved ones.”

Emma Moore, the Northern Ireland President of the National Association of Funeral Directors, said the current set up was “not fit for purpose to serve families the way they should be”.

She said: “The facilities aren’t as modern as they should be with no capability do do photo slide shows, there’s no streaming facility which in this day and age is really poor.

“The experience that bereaved families and mourners are getting is way below the standard we should be able to provide for the community.”

Belfast City Council told BBC News NI that: “Elected members are considering options in relation to the new crematorium at Roselawn Cemetery.

“A report will be brought before committee in due course.”