New crematorium at Roselawn gets go ahead from Belfast City Council

“Roselawn opened in the 1960s, when cremations were rare, and, to be honest, it doesn’t even serve the purpose it was built for then,” he said.

Initially intended to complete 700 cremations a year, Roselawn now performs more than 3,000 annually.

“When Antrim and Newtownabbey crematorium opened in 2023, that took a bit of the pressure off,” said Larkin.

“But even still, both are constantly under pressure.

“You’re talking a five or six day waiting period at either.

“And in Roselawn, because of the volume of cremations they are dealing with, families only have about 20 minutes to have their service.”

The brevity of the ceremonies, Larkin said, is what frustrates most families.

“It’s too rushed. Even for us as funeral directors, 20 minutes is too rushed,” he added.

As well as facilitating longer services, Larkin said the new crematorium will enable families to make services more bespoke.