Crematorium plan under fire from Yapton councillors

Fourteen objections to the proposal were agreed by the parish council's planning committee at a crowded meeting on Tuesday.

Council chairman Cllr Andy Faulkner stated afterwards: 'Our meeting in the village hall was packed full to overflowing with members of the public who came along to express their strong objection to the latest application for a crematorium at Bilsham.

'The parish council has carefully examined the re-submitted application and could find no evidence of need or demand for such a facility in the village. Indeed, if approved, it would undoubtedly lead to further infill (development) with increased traffic and would destroy our quality of life and pleasant rural community.

'The parish council shares the views of local residents and is submitting a detailed letter of objection to the district council.'

The protests concern the resubmission by Mercia Crematoria to Arun District Council of its plans for a crematorium on land north of Ryebank Rife, opposite Bilsham Rife, west of Bilsham Road. A total of 75 villagers attended Tuesday's meeting. Several of them spoke out against the intentions to make clear the unanimous opposition among those present.

Parish councillors backed this view with a catalogue of reasons why the application should be refused by Arun. These included the location of the preferred site outside the area where development would normally be permitted which would create a precedent where further development would be difficult to resist.

They also believe that funeral corteges and the vehicles of those attending services at the crematorium would add to the already recognised problems at Comet Corner. The councillors' additional concerns included the fact the chosen site is in a low lying area prone to flooding and would have an unacceptable impact on the character of the rural landscape.

They questioned as well the independence of some of the facts used by Mercia to justify its case.

The protestors' campaign has been boosted by West Sussex County Council. County planning officer Stephen Brown said Arun had to be totally satisfied a need existed for a crematorium, that it should be placed in the countryside and that no alternative location can be found.

Three objections were raised by Mr Brown to Mercia's intentions because they conflicted with the county council's planning policies.

However, he said that if Arun was satisfied an overriding case existed for a crematorium, the county council would insist on seven conditions being imposed on the development to protect the surrounding area and roads.