A new Angus crematorium has cleared its final planning hurdle and could be operational by the end of 2024.
The farmer behind the £3 million project says he is delighted planning conditions for the Duntrune proposal have finally been set to allow the project to progress.
Those will include a new 40 miles per hour speed limit on the B978 Kellas Road between Ballumbie and Kellas.
It will be a main route for traffic going to the crematorium.
But Angus development management review committee councillors stopped short of ordering Guthrie Batchelor to put in improved visibility splays on land he doesn’t own.
And they decided not to ask for a bus stop outside the new facility.
Appeal success in Duntrune crematorium bid
Mr Batchelor’s proposal for farmland near Duntrune House was approved in March.
He successfully appealed the council’s 2021 refusal of the plan.
The crematorium will have a capacity for around 120 mourners and 125 car parking spaces.
It is to be sited on around two hectares of land owned by the Batchelor family, which has farmed in Angus for eight generations.
Mr Batchelor said it was an “ideal location” for what will be the second crematorium in Angus.
Local residents fought a lengthy campaign against the project.
They said it was the wrong development in the wrong location.
DMRC councillors have now agreed conditions relating to landscaping, lighting and drainage around the Duntrune site.
They also want to see clear signage for the crematorium, particularly around the B978 from Monifieth.
But an official told councillors: “This development should not be used to remedy existing deficiencies when those can be remedied by the roads authority under its own powers.”
External interest
Mr Batchelor said he was happy with the committee outcome.
“It’s three months since we got the approval so we were eager to get this sorted out with regards to the planning conditions,” he said.
“We’ve now got those so we know exactly what we’re dealing with.
“We will now get the building warrant sorted and want to crack on with the project as soon as we can.”
There is already third-party interest from within the industry which Mr Batchelor says is a major boost for the project.
“Realistically, with the time these things take, it will probably be the start of the better weather next year when work begins.
“It is still looking like the end of next year for the opening of the crematorium.”
New Angus crematorium application
In May, an application was lodged for another crematorium in Angus.
Myreside Farms want to build it beside the B961 near Carmyllie Hall.
A number of local objections have come forward over traffic concerns.
Angus Council is yet to make a decision on the application.
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