Staffordshire crematorium finally opens four years later than scheduled

Sited at the Chase & District Memorial Park in Burntwood, it had originally been due to open in 2018.

However, bosses say they were forced to relocate their original plans to another site within the park after falling foul of the 1902 Cremation Act, which was designed to prevent 'dark smoke' drifting over the highway and distressing horse-drawn vehicles.

It required 'significant additional investment' to get the proposals back on track, they say, but it has now come to fruition.

The independently-run memorial park is situated within nine acres of tranquil grounds, with a range of cremation services available for both individuals and through funeral directors.

The chapel offers a space for up to 35 attendees to hold services, and has an Obitus sound system and live streaming technologies which can bring together international communities who can’t all attend a service in person.

The newly-relocated crematorium provides the option of laying loved ones to rest on site, or having ashes returned within 48 hours so families can proceed with further special arrangements or life celebrations.

The peaceful grounds offer a number of burial choices from pre-selected individual or family plots that can be purchased prior to need, mixed burial spaces plus tree memorials and dedicated spaces to reflect religious sensitivities.

John Connell, director of The Chase & District Memorial Park, said: “I’m delighted that after many years of struggle, what was previously dubbed the ‘crematorium that never opened’ is now fully operational and run by a passionate team of dedicated people to help those during their time of need.

"The relocation of the crematorium was required, and whilst this delayed our opening by years and requiring significant additional investment, it has absolutely secured the operation of the park for years to come and truly demonstrates my personal dedication to providing an independent, high-end service to the local community and respect to the land itself.

"I have huge plans for our memorial park over the coming years and I’m committed to ensuring that we maintain investment and am passionate about making Chase and District the best it can possibly be.”

Further plans include additional landscaping and creating a woodland burial area, where ashes can be planted together with saplings.

For more information on Chase & District Memorial Park and Crematorium, email info@chaseanddistrict.com, or call 01543 241080.