Grieving families in Scarborough will continue to have access to local services after a £2.5 million plan to replace ageing crematorium equipment was approved.
Local cremation services in Scarborough will be safeguarded for the next two decades following the approval of a £2.5 million equipment replacement plan.
Ageing gas cremators at Woodlands Crematorium, which are now twenty-two years old and past their useful life cycle, will be replaced with modern, upgraded models to prevent the permanent cessation of the community facility.
The executive committee voted to approve the spending to address critical compliance, operational, and sustainability issues at the site, which has served the local community since 1961.
Councillor Richard Foster said:
"The cremators at Woodlands in Scarborough have come to the end of their life and they need to be upgraded and replaced.
We've looked at various ways and of replacing them, whether we could do different things, but the modern gas burners are pretty energy efficient and they're also very clean and environmentally friendly.
It really is something we need to do.We need to get this service up and running in local areas so people can attend these services in local places. And the way we'll do it is one cremator will be closed at a time, so we can keep services running within the Scarborough area to make sure people can say goodbye to loved ones in the local area."
Without the investment, residents and local funeral directors faced the prospect of travelling greater distances to alternative sites in Driffield. The current equipment has seen increased servicing and maintenance costs, alongside growing difficulties in sourcing replacement parts for machinery installed in 2004.
Council reports highlighted that changing environmental permitting regulations and stricter emission standards meant the older cremators would soon become unable to meet legislative demands.
Project leaders evaluated alternative options, including electric and hybrid cremators, but concluded that a like-for-like gas replacement was the most cost-effective and reliable solution. Electric alternatives would have cost approximately £3 million and required significant power supply upgrades, as well as the costly hire of a temporary cremator during construction.
Furthermore, officials noted that the cremation process using gas is shorter in duration by an average of thirty minutes to one hour compared to the electric option.
The new gas cremators are expected to reduce gas consumption by up to twenty-five per cent compared to the older models, cutting carbon emissions and improving air quality. The crematorium also operates a heat exchange system, meaning that heat generated by the cremators is used to provide heating to the chapel.
The upgraded machinery will feature increased capacity to accommodate larger coffins, which the existing cremators are unable to cope with due to dimension restrictions. This could allow for more cremations per year, potentially providing additional income for the service.
Construction work is proposed to begin during the summer period of 2027, when demand for cremations is traditionally at its lowest, to minimise disruption. The project will be managed in phases, replacing one cremator while the second remains operational.
The facility currently handles over one thousand cremations annually, generating an average yearly income of just over £1 million. After taking account of servicing, repair, staff costs, and utility bills, the site provides an estimated net surplus of £800,000 per year. The replacement project will be funded through the strategic capacity reserve.
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