KING’S LYNN: Council spends £1.5m on new cremators
West Norfolk Council will be forking out £1.5 million on three new cremators, seven years after installing the current units at the Mintlyn crematorium.
The council has until September 2014 to replace the current furnaces in order to meet environmental permits.
The existing cremators were bought in 2006 but are now out-dated as the machines have just one set of equipment to reduce mercury emissions.
The council is also looking to spend a further £900,000 on improving the crematorium in Bawsey.
Cabinet members agreed to go ahead with the project at a meeting on Tuesday.
Community portfolio holder Adrian Lawrence said: “It seems there may have been some mistakes made in the past. That was then and this is now.”
The new cremators will all have inline abatement equipment. The project will also include the construction of a new cremator hall.
The current hall will then be converted into office space, meeting rooms and a staff changing room with showering facilities.
Building work is scheduled to start in September and the plant must be operational by 2015.
But West Winch councillor Paul Foster expressed concerns to the cabinet that the cremators are being replaced so quickly.
He said: “We don’t want to make errors again and what concerns me is that the project manager has only been given two months to prepare this and the council has known for three years that the permit is going to expire.”
However, deputy leader Brian Long said the cabinet in 2006 were “mindful” that emission rules were changing.
But he added that the plan went ahead because of the limited space available in the cremator hall.
Regeneration portfolio holder Alistair Beales said: “I would be interested to know what the projected life would be.
“I would like to know whether these things have worked harder than projected.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for King's Lynn
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North
