Rushmoor Borough Council is planning a major refurbishment of Aldershot Crematorium.
The move follows a detailed feasibility study into modernising the crematorium, which was opened in 1960 and was last fully refurbished more than 25 years ago. The most recent condition survey has indicated that a new roof is needed, and a second new cremator is required.
A planning application for the refurbishment has been submitted, with plans expected to come before the council’s Development Management Committee in August.
Proposed work to the external appearance of the building includes replacing the roof, reducing the height of the chimney stack, cladding the exterior, and extending the porte cochere.
The refurbishment will support the council’s green agenda and include improved insulation, solar panels, heat harnessing, and new windows throughout.
Accessibility will also be improved, with facilities for those with disabilities updated.
Over recent months, the project team has been working closely with key stakeholders - including local funeral directors and celebrants - to make sure the proposals provide optimal operational improvements.
If all goes well, work could begin on site in spring 2024.
To make sure that it can continue to offer a bereavement service while the work is carried out, the council intends to retore and bring back to use the chapels in the Redan Road Cemetery.
Services will be held in one of these chapels, while the other will be used as a waiting room, also providing toilets and an office area.
Although the crematorium building will be closed to the public during the refurbishment work, the grounds will remain open for residents to visit throughout.
Councillor Maurice Sheehan, Rushmoor Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Operational Services, said: “Residents deserve a high-quality bereavement service, and this refurbishment will enable us to provide a much-improved facility where people can remember their family members and friends in a comfortable, modern building.”
Councillor Martin Tennant, Rushmoor Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Major Projects and Property, added: “We need a crematorium fit for the 21st century and I’m confident our plans will deliver this. Refurbishing the chapels at Redan Road Cemetery means that we will be able to continue to offer a bereavement service during the period of refurbishment. It will also leave us with an operational building available for use once work at the crematorium is complete.”
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