Roselawn: Belfast City Council reveals plan for new crematorium

Belfast City Council has revealed its plan for a new £18m crematorium at Roselawn and is inviting the public to give their opinion on it.

The existing crematorium opened in 1961 and was expected to handle 700 cremations a year.

Sixty years later there is five times that demand - more than 3,500 cremations take place annually.

The proposal is for a new crematorium with two ceremony rooms, each seating up to 200 people.

It would be able to accommodate about 4,500 cremations each year.

Belfast Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl said that modernising Roselawn would "enable us to provide an improved service to families and mourners".

"We're keen to hear people's views on the proposed design of the new crematorium, as well as the facilities and access provided, so that we can develop a formal planning application and deliver an improved facility," said the lord mayor.

"Funerals are such important rituals in our lives, allowing us to honour, respect and remember our loved ones, to express grief and to offer hope for the living."

The plans are to furbish the building in buff and cream brick, timber and polished concrete.

The two new ceremony rooms would each overlook a landscaped courtyard.

Each room would have its own waiting area and toilet facilities.

New traffic access to the crematorium would be created from the Ballygowan Road.

The plan is for the new building to open in 2024.

The council is encouraging people to view the proposals and to complete a brief online consultation before the deadline of 25 October.