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Planning Considerations

Planning policy

 

  • The site is located in the Green Belt where well established policies prepared nationally and by South Gloucestershire Council seek to control development to protect its openness.
  • The construction of new buildings in the Green Belt is inappropriate except for a number of purposes, one of which is the provision of cemeteries.
  • Part of the proposal is for a wild cemetery which is supported by paragraph 89 of the NPPF given that this will not have any impact on the openness of the Green Belt.
  • The proposal is designed to reduce its impact on the openness of the Green Belt by siting the buildings on the lower parts of the site; farthest away from the main public vantage points; and where they are screened by existing and proposed vegetation.
  • ‘Very Special Circumstances’ will be set out to demonstrate that this development is appropriate in the Green Belt. These include the controls placed by the Cremation Act 1902 which requires that it has to be located 200 yards from the nearest house. This limits the number of alternative locations to those outside existing urban areas.

Lack of alternatives and travel times

  • The two nearest existing crematoria are located at Westerleigh and Canford Lane, Bristol. Westerleigh is located 10 miles/20-30 minute drive and Canford Lane is also a 10 mile drive/ 20-30 minutes drive from the site.  
  • These distances do not take into account traffic and the slower speed that funeral processions move at and should therefore be considered the minimum travel times.See map showing distances and drive times to the nearest Crematoria below.
  • Funeral Directors prefer to limit the distance and time that they have to travel to crematoria to 30 minutes (given the speed they drive at), meaning that both the nearest sites are at the edge of the acceptable travel distance.
  • There are no crematoria to the north of Thornbury with the nearest one being Coney Hill in Gloucester (nearly 30 miles/ 45-55 minute drive away)

Population Threshold

  • The population threshold for a crematorium is 150,000 and the population of South Gloucestershire District is 263,000 (2011 Census). It is accepted that a proportion of this population, particularly in the south and east of the District, will be located closer to Westerleigh, and to a lesser extent, Canford Lane. However the population of the neighbouring Stroud District is also increasing and as a result there is considered to be a gap in the coverage in this part of South Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas which are not served by existing crematorium and as a result a need exists for a new facility.

Waiting times

  • It is also accepted that waiting times for cremations should be no longer than 1 week and the two nearest facilities experience longer waiting times than this. As a result there is an identifiable under supply of crematorium facilities to meet the existing demand. Further, with the expanding and ageing population, this demand will only increase, thereby placing further strains on the existing facilities.