Thousands of new burial plots for Roselawn Cemetery as expansion continues - and true state of struggling crematorium revealed
Several thousand new burial plots are to be created at Roselawn Cemetery, as more plans to massively expand the facility emerged.
A new crematorium at the east Belfast site was finally approved this week, bringing a years-long battle to an end after multiple Sinn Féin-led attempts to shift it to the west of the city were defeated.
But information set to be delivered to the civic council next week reveals Roselawn’s graveyard is in for a massive expansion as well.
It also details how just bad the situation with the existing overworked crematorium has become, including two multiple-day shutdowns within the last two months so repairs could be carried out.
And it’s been indicated that Roselawn is now carrying out seven times as many cremations each year as it was originally built to handle.
Reports seen by the News Letter state that four areas within the site are being eyed as locations for a total of 3,000 new burial plots.
According to the reports, planning permission for the project is already in place and site investigations have confirmed that the land is suitable for full cemetery burials.
The thousands of new plots are expected to be complete within five years.
The expansion is in addition to a separate move that will create 526 new plots for cremated remains towards the south of the Roselawn site, which was granted planning permission over the summer and is expected to be ready in the second half of next year.
Reports also detail problems with the facility’s existing crematorium, however.
Although staff and outside specialist contractors are keeping it up and running, the age and condition of the facility “continue to present significant challenges”.
There have been issues with its electrics and heat in recent years, as well as repeated repair jobs to the cremator itself.
Indeed, the cremator had to be shut down for four days in September for scheduled maintenance, it’s stated, and “essential maintenance” cropped up that was to shut it down for several days again near the end of October.
Reports state the shutdowns were needed “to maintain the cremator plant and building infrastructure”, and funeral directors were informed in advance of them.
Information published this year by planning consultants acting on behalf of Belfast Council revealed that cremation is becoming increasingly popular across Northern Ireland.
According to those consultants, Roselawn performs an average of 15 cremations a day, compared to two coffin burials.
That equates to more than 4,700 cremations per year, stated the consultants.
When Roselawn’s new crematorium was passed by the council this week, Green Party politician Anthony Flynn said the existing facility was originally built for “a total capacity of 700 cremations a year” – less than one-seventh of the number it currently performs.
After Sinn Féin once again moved to have a new crematorium built in west Belfast instead of Roselawn, Mr Flynn said: “We have kept this ridiculous conversation going on for years.”
And Alliance’s Michael Long said the council has “talked about this for at least a decade”, stating: “For far too long people who are grieving have had to use a crematorium which is at a level that is not acceptable.”
Roselawn’s second crematorium narrowly passed this week, with unionists, Alliance and Greens voting in favour while nationalist parties were opposed.