Falkirk Council: Crematorium needs £1.5m upgrade only years after last refurbishment

Falkirk Council has admitted that a six-month renewal project is currently underway – but officials say that it will have little impact on mourners attending services at the crematorium in Camelon.

However, it is understood that services are starting slightly earlier in the day to give workmen more time to work after the last mourner has departed.

On Sunday, visitors to the garden of remembrance saw equipment being delivered with a crane used to lift and lower it over the building.

The crematorium was closed for around five months in early 2017 to allow the first phase of a £3.2 million upgrading project to take place. It reopened in July that year but the second phase of the work saw the two cremators replaced and they were finally operational at the beginning of 2018.

But this week the council was forced to admit that the new cremators were breaking down and, as the manufacturers have gone bust, they cannot get them serviced or obtain parts. The decision was then taken to replace them.

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “Two new cremators are being installed that will allow an improved service to be offered to the public. The new cremators represent a significant investment that will help to provide an improved service for many years to come.

"The current cremators are unreliable, and the manufacturers are now in liquidation meaning they are difficult to service and obtain parts for.

“Our new cremators will be fully automated and offer hi-spec emission control that remove chemicals from flue gases meeting environmental regulations. We will have three cremators in total on site, all offering a bariatric service for the first time.

“The replacement work will take approximately six months, however, there is no significant impact on the level of service we are able to offer.”

The 2017 refurbishment work saw the chapel area extended to allow more mourners at services, the loggia leading from the chapel was partly enclosed with a glass screen, and the entrance and exit of the crematorium were redesigned to reduce congestion at busy times.