PROPOSALS for a South Lakeland crematorium have prompted a developer to put forward a rival plan.

The Time and Tide Group has lodged an official objection to plans for a crematorium at Beetham Hall, Beetham.

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And the company has now revealed it will soon be submitting its own planning application for an alternative site close to the M6.

“It is clear that Beetham Hall is inappropriate for a crematorium,” said a spokesman for the company, which is responsible for the housing development on the old auction mart site in Kendal.

“Time and Tide however accept the need for a crematorium within South Lakeland and can offer the council an alternative, viable, unconstrained site on which to locate a crematorium.”

The alternative proposal concerns land close to junction 36 of the M6, where there is currently the Moss End Business Village and the J36 Rural Auction Centre.

Now they say the next stage of development should be a crematorium and memorial garden.

“The significant land holding at junction 36 will ensure that the crematorium site can accommodate a memorial garden, which we understand to be a requirement, as well as sufficient parking. From a highways perspective, this is far more suitable than the Beetham Hall site.”

The original plans for a crematorium at Beetham Hall were submitted to South Lakeland District Council in July by Fishwicks Ltd, which is based at the hall.

The community has found itself divided over the plans, with some saying it is necessary to reduce the distance mourners must travel to reach crematoriums at Lancaster and Barrow.

But dozens have raised fears over its proximity to a nearby school, as well as over increased traffic and pollution in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Members of Beetham Parish Council recommended refusal to the plans which involve converting a workshop into a chapel for 140 mourners, and creating an 80-space car park, with overspill parking for 20 cars.

Parish councillors’ views were ‘fairly evenly split’ over the principle of having a crematorium in the parish.

However, they agreed that the proposed design and screening were ‘unacceptable’; that there was no evidence to justify the need for a crematorium; and no ‘clear and convincing’ reason for such a development within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and close to a Grade ll-listed building.

Senior director John Fishwick said that utilising the existing funeral home and its facilities to avoid the development of a new site would be ‘an efficient and low impact’ way of meeting the need in the area.

“Through the provision of this facility families will have less time to wait for a cremation and also less distance to travel, at what can be a very difficult time,” he added.

“There will be no negative environmental impact as the cremators are built to comply with strict EU guidelines and any emissions will be regularly monitored.”