Plans for a modern crematorium for East Renfrewshire approved

The multi-million-pound state of the art, environmentally advanced facility will mean that East Renfrewshire families will no longer face unacceptably long waiting times, or have no choice but to travel to the Linn Crematorium in Castlemilk or Woodside Crematorium in the centre of Paisley for funeral services.

Set within 15-acres of land on Glasgow Road, close to the Hurlet Junction, the new high-quality facility will offer comfortable seating for 100 people within the main Ceremony Hall – with a floor to ceiling feature window offering uninterrupted views across the surrounding hills and fields.

In addition, there will be a large and comfortable public waiting area with capacity for a further 100 people, incorporating large wide screen monitors and high-end audio, through which family and mourners can watch services taking place within the main Ceremony Hall.

Other technology advances include high definition monitors and audio within the Ceremony Hall on which visual tributes can be broadcast.

This is a relatively new and popular innovation, allowing families to collate images and video that can be displayed throughout the service – helping to make the experience more personal, memorable and poignant.

Secure webcast services will also be available, allowing people who are unable to attend the funeral service in person, such as family members and friends who are based overseas, or for those who are housebound or in hospital, the opportunity to watch and feel part of the funeral service in real time.

The facility will also feature acres of sensitively landscaped grounds and gardens, including a carefully crafted memorial space, providing families with a private and reflective area to which they can return to at any time.

It is hoped that construction will start at the end of this year, and that the facility will be completed and ready to operate in late 2020 to early 2021.

It is estimated that 20 to 30 construction jobs will be created during the build phase, and that five or six full-time posts will be created to operate and manage the facility.

The team behind the plans already operate another high-quality and environmentally advanced crematorium in Scotland, which they opened in the summer of last year.

Jeremy Hamilton, director of Horizon Cremation said: “We are absolutely delighted with the planning approval for a much needed, new and modern crematorium within East Renfrewshire.

“This new facility will make a huge difference for local families, by providing a high-quality and inspiring crematorium facility dedicated to and for East Renfrewshire.

“We know from the Clyde Coast & Garnock Valley Crematorium how crucially important it is for families to have access to a caring and compassionate funeral service. Bereavement can be a very difficult experience, and it is essential that families receive the support they need, and this includes access to a well-designed, high-quality and comfortable crematorium facility.

“Our whole focus, our mission, is on providing the very highest levels of care, compassion and service from within unique, modern and inspiring crematorium buildings.

“We want to help make the bereavement and funeral service as special and memorable as possible, and the new crematorium at the Hurlet will significantly help East Renfrewshire families when care and support is most needed.”