Lach Dennis and Lostock Green crematorium plans approved at appeal

Plans to build a crematorium and garden of remembrance on land south-west of Birches Lane were refused by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s (CWAC) strategic planning committee last October after they were deemed to be a departure from the local plan.

An appeal hearing was held in March after applicants Memoria Ltd lodged an appeal against the council’s decision, with planning inspector Richard Clegg deciding to allow the appeal on June 11, granting planning permission.

In his decision notice, Mr Clegg said that despite objections from residents and members of the Lach Dennis and Lostock Green Action Group, the development would ‘not detract from views in the locality’ and considered that there would not be ‘an adverse visual impact contrary to criterion in Policy BE1 of the local plan’.

He added that there would be ‘no loss of privacy to local residents’ and that he had ‘found that there would be no unacceptable harm to living conditions, no material harm to highway safety and traffic movement, and that the effect on local businesses carries little weight’.

He said there are ‘no effects which count significantly against the proposal and they do not outweigh the benefit of meeting need’.

Following the decision, Memoria’s business development director, Jamieson Hodgson, said: “We are obviously pleased with the inspector’s decision.

“Mr Clegg’s report is extremely thorough and it is clear that he took all matters into consideration before making his decision to allow the appeal.

“In terms of next steps, we are proceeding with the discharging of planning conditions with immediate effect in the hope that we will be able to start building the development as soon as possible.”

Lostock Green resident and action group member Fiona Cotton said: “We are absolutely gutted because we put absolutely everything into fighting this and we still are.

“This isn’t the right location for a crematorium and despite what the planning inspector has said, it will harm our living conditions – we don’t want Memoria.”

Fellow campaigner Kathy O’Donoghue added: “We are horrified.”

An artists impression of Westerleigh's proposals.
An artists impression of Westerleigh's proposals.

PLANS to build a crematorium in Davenham have been halted after two ‘administrative omissions’ by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Crematoria specialists Westerleigh Group had their plans for land off Shurlach Lane approved on April 18, but a spokesman for CWAC said: “Two administrative omissions have meant that the first Westerleigh application is legally flawed.

“If Westerleigh wishes to reapply then the application will of course be considered in the normal way.”

Nicola Clarke, clerk to Lostock Gralam Parish Council, said: “We are unhappy that the Whatcroft crematorium application has now been halted due to the inefficiency of CWAC.

“It is very frustrating for the parish council to try to work for the local people and continually be faced with developments going ahead despite local opposition.”

In the event that Westerleigh’s application is approved, planning inspector Mr Clegg said in his appeal report that ‘it is unlikely that there would be the demand to support two crematoria’ and ‘the council and the appellant suggest that the market would determine which would proceed’.

Read the full appeal decision here: MemoriaCrematoriumAppealDecision.pdf