Home / Business and Economy / Village Faces 700-Body Mortuary Plan
Village Faces 700-Body Mortuary Plan
19 Aug
Summary
- A mortuary facility for up to 700 bodies is planned near York.
- The facility would store bodies for three to four days before cremation.
- Local objectors have raised concerns about the mortuary's impact.
A company's proposal to establish a mortuary facility near York has sparked significant local controversy. The planned site, located in the village of Nether Poppleton within York Business Park, is intended to store up to 700 bodies. This facility would be a conversion of a former mobile network switching centre.
Pure Cremation, the company behind the proposal, states the mortuary would cause minimal traffic and noise, with no change to the building's external scale. It would function as their primary mortuary for the north-east region, operating continuously. Bodies collected from homes, care homes, and hospices would be temporarily stored here.
Works involve installing six cooling units to preserve the bodies. Arriving in body bags via private ambulances, bodies would be checked and placed in coffins. They would be stored on racks, five coffins high, for approximately three to four days before being transported to crematoriums or other facilities. Up to 35 staff would manage the site, which would be monitored by CCTV and remain closed to the public.
