Britain's biggest mortuary has been given the go-ahead, allowing bodies to be stacked five coffins high. The facility, developed by Pure Cremations, was approved despite fierce opposition from residents who described it as a "human conveyor belt".
Facility details and location
The substantial storage facility will be capable of accommodating up to 700 bodies at a time in racks stacked five coffins high. Pure Cremations, Britain's leading direct cremation provider, is behind the project.
A planning application has been approved by York Council to transform a 37,673 square foot former telephone exchange into a storage facility at York Business Park, in North Yorkshire. The current building sits alongside a martial arts gym, independent nail salons, and dog groomers.
Scale and operations
The company, which operates another mass funeral site in Cheshire, has stated the facility will serve as its principal mortuary for the North East. It will become one of the UK's largest facilities, surpassed only by temporary structures erected during Covid, which could accommodate up to 1,300 bodies.
Traditional private mortuaries typically hold between 20 and 25 bodies. Pure Cremations offers 'no frills' direct cremations, where bodies are cremated without family attendance or a formal funeral service, priced at £1,595.
Local opposition
The planning application was not met with approval from everyone, with numerous locals taking a stand against it. Some labelled it as "horrific" and likened it to a "human conveyor belt".
Local funeral director Martin Rowley, 64, who operates Rowley & Sons Family Funeral Services in York, said he is "disappointed" by the decision. He alleges the approximately 25 members of staff working at the site will be unable to provide sufficient care for the deceased.
Martin, who also serves as a Conservative councillor for the Osbaldwick and Derwent Ward, commented: "This facility just endorses the impersonal, transactional, profit driven nature of the Pure Cremations operation. I'm not questioning their service, rather the industrial scale of the facility. How can so few staff realistically look after so many bodies and ensure they are kept in good condition?"
He added: "If the council really cared about people and transparency, they would have brought this planning application to the Planning Committee for determination."
Resident reactions
Fellow residents have voiced their concerns online, with one describing it as sounding like a "horror movie" and another stating "York clowncil at it again". One local resident commented: "My son visited the Departure Lounge at their other branch in Knutsford on a recent school science trip. He was shocked. Very disappointing this has been given the go-ahead."
Another remarked: "It doesn't matter how many people object, they get what they want. Someone has seen a lot of money coming!" A further resident stated: "There is no dignity in this. Dignity is having a good undertaker to care of all aspects of giving your loved one the send off they deserve."
