Council has preferred site in mind for Derry/Strabane crematorium

The Council’s preference for a particular location was disclosed at a meeting of its Environment and Regeneration Committee this week.

Committee members were told that Cogent, who have been newly appointed to develop a business case for a regional facility, have compiled a list of draft site selection criteria to ensure a fair competition between D&SDC and the Fermanagh & Omagh and Mid Ulster District Councils.

In a paper presented to committee members on Wednesday, Cogent stated: “The research team is aware that DC&SDC and Fermanagh & Omagh District Council have identified a potential preferred site in each of their respective Council areas where a crematorium could be located.

“On the basis that an assessment of these sites will already have been taken against (inter alia) the aforementioned core criteria, this stage of the assessment process would only be undertaken for new sites identified during the research process.”

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said it was important that the competing councils were following the “same set of criteria”, and for all of the local authorities to be contesting for the right to host the regional facility on a “level playing field”.

Colr. Tierney quipped that he had “no problem with the criteria as long as they result in the selection of this district” as the location for the crematorium.

Details of the exact location were not revealed during the course of the meeting or by Cogent. The ‘Journal’ asked the question but there was no response when the paper went to Press.