Delays to £1 million upgrade to Stourbridge Crematorium
Up to £1 million of works to upgrade a crematorium in the Black Country have been pushed back again, it has been revealed.
Work is expected to be carried out at Stourbridge Crematorium to extend the chapel, improve welfare facilities and install two new cremators.
The project was originally due to get underway at the South Road facility in February this year, before being pushed back to autumn.
But this month's Dudley Council cabinet papers have now revealed the work will now not get underway until early 2020 - due to further delays in the designs for the project.
In report for the meeting on Wednesday, it states: "Due to further delays in the design phase of the project, the upgrade of the cremators and enhancement works to the chapel will not commence now until early 2020.
"A start date for the project will be set over the coming months with spending forecast to be within budget."
Dudley Council has set aside a budget of £1 million for the project.
Councillor Ian Kettle, the authority's cabinet member responsible for bereavement services, said: "We are really keen to get started on the works at Stourbridge Crematorium but want to make sure they are carried out at a time when we can minimise disruption to bereaved families.
“As the design phase for the project took slightly longer than expected, it has pushed our timescales back meaning the works would potentially have been carried out during one of our busiest times.
“By postponing to the spring, we hope to minimise the impact.”
Stourbridge Crematorium was opened in 1960 is situated within the grounds of Stourbridge Cemetery.
The original chapel building dates back more than a hundred years.
In 2010 the crematorium was fitted with a new furnace and a disabled access ramp was installed.
Security devices costing £25,000 were also fitted at the site after it was hit by a spate of vandalism and thefts. Raiders had snatched computers, drills and personal items from Stourbridge Crematorium.
