Talks on crematorium for Derry & the west still ongoing

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council confirmed that plans for a regional crematorium are still being considered and discussed with Councils in the region.​

It is now five years since it emerged that Derry & Strabane and two neighbouring Councils – Fermanagh & Omagh District and Mid-Ulster Councils – had agreed to develop a business case and each of the three councils had allocated funding towards this.​

For decades, the only option for the loved ones of people who wish to be cremated after they pass away has been to travel to either Roselawn, in Belfast, or to Cavan. ​

However, a new £5m crematorium opened last week in Newtownabbey with Antrim & Newtonabbey Council stating that ‘this facility will be a great asset not only for local residents but for the whole of Northern Ireland’.​

Asked if the plans were still actively being discussed for a crematorium for the west, a spokesperson for Derry & Strabane Council confirmed: “Plans for a regional crematorium are still being considered and discussed with Councils in the region. Council will review all options in relation to the development of a regional crematorium and will update elected members in relation to this in due course.”​

Meanwhile, Derry City & Strabane District Council says its plans to develop a new municipal cemetery for the city at Mullenan Road, near Killea and Nixon’s Corner, are “also at an advanced stage.”​

The new cemetery will accommodate 4,000 burial plots.