Fresh delay in final decision over farmer’s bid for new Angus crematorium

By Graham Brown

December 8 2022, 5:55am

Campaigners say they are disappointed by the latest delay in the Duntrune crematorium saga. Image: Paul Reid.

Campaigners have been hit by another delay in their bid to halt a farmer’s plan for a new crematorium on the Dundee/Angus border.

Guthrie Batchelor first submitted plans for the site east of Duntrune House more than two years ago.

The businessman wants to use two hectares of farmland to create the crematorium, car parking and a memorial garden.

He says there is a need for another facility to serve Angus, which currently has only one crematorium.

And he has described the setting near Murroes as a “cracking site”.

Duntrune crematorium site — Guthrie Batchelor of the Friockheim farming family at the Duntrune site. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

Major opposition

But the plan drew more than 700 objections.

Opponents have spent thousands of pounds fighting the proposal, branding it their “worst nightmare”.

And in January they thought they had seen the end of the idea when Angus Council planning officials rejected the bid.

A refusal decision made under delegated powers said the crematorium plan breached council, TayPlan and Scottish planning policies.

They were critical of the reliance on private cars to access the crematorium due to the lack of good public transport links.

However, Mr Batchelor appealed the decision to the council’s Development Management Review Committee.

Hopes the issue might be decided in August were dashed after DMRC councillors held off on making a ruling.

It came after objectors highlighted “serious discrepancies” in the report to the committee.

And councillors said they wanted to make a site visit to see the location for themselves.

Duntrune crematorium — Opponents have erected a banner near the planned crematorium site. Image: Paul Reid

Site visit hold-up

It has now emerged that this is yet to take place.

The DMRC was due to meet on Thursday.

But Angus Council has told campaigners the site visit and committee have been postponed “due to circumstances outwith officers’ control”.

Ian Robertson, who lives in part of Duntrune House, has led the fight against the proposal.

He said: “It is very disappointing to learn of what is now the third significant delay in the determination of this appeal which was lodged back in February 2022.

“Local residents received notice of the original planning application back in October of 2020.

“They have had to live with this ill-conceived and completely inappropriate proposal hanging over them since then.

“I really hope the council can reschedule the DMRC meeting for later this month, so that this sorry saga can be brought to a conclusion in 2022 and that it does not drag on into 2023.”