A £315,000 budget has been agreed to expand the memorial garden at Worthing Crematorium.
All the private garden interment plots at the crematorium, in Horsham Road, have been filled, with more space needed to meet demand.
During a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (February 21), council leader Dr Beccy Cooper said the bereavement service team had been looking in-depth at income generating and modernisation opportunities ‘to help improve efficiency and customer experience’ at the crematorium.
In the summer of 2020, Deacon Designs came up with a concept design for a 30mx50m site next to the current memorial garden, with enough space to allow for 728 interments in 274 plots.
A report to the meeting said:
“There is interest and a desire for additional burial space of this design.
“This is evidenced by a waiting list of 59 people and the fact that all plots in the existing garden are now sold.
“These individuals will be contacted with details of the development and given the opportunity to purchase off plan.”
The new garden will be paid for through prudential borrowing with total repayment costs of £407,940 over the lifetime of the project being funded from the income generated by the sale of the memorials.
The money will also be used to pay for conservation level repairs to the old Muntham Estate walls.
The lifespan of the new memorial garden is expected to be between five and ten years, depending on the size of the plots sold.
The meeting was told that, because of the limited land available at the crematorium, investment in additional land and landscaping would be needed before any further expansion could take place.
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