‘Kindness is required’ - Yorkshire funeral director criticises plans for mortuary which can hold 700 bodies

Yorkshire funeral director and Conservative councillor Martin Rowley has criticised plans for a large mortuary which could hold up to 700 bodies in Nether Poppleton.

A funeral director has hit out at plans to build one of "Britain's biggest mortuaries" on a Yorkshire business park - branding it a "corpse factory".

The huge storage facility - which could hold up to 700 bodies in racks five coffins high - is planned by Britain's leading direct cremation provider Pure Cremations.

It plans to convert a 37,673 sq feet former telephone exchange into a storage facility at York Business Park, Nether Poppleton in North Yorkshire.

The unit currently sits next to a martial arts gym, independent nail salons, and dog groomers. The company, which has a similar facility at Knutsford, Cheshire, has said it would become the firm's main mortuary for the North East.

It is thought to be the one of the largest in the UK - with only temporary structures built during Covid, which could hold up to 1,300, being bigger. Standard private mortuaries normally hold around 20 to 25 bodies.

Pure Cremations provide 'no frills' direct cremations where the body is cremated with no family present or a formal funeral service - which costs £1,595.

But dozens of locals have since objected, describing it as "horrific" with some resembling it to more of a "human conveyor belt".

Martin Rowley, 64, who runs Rowley & Sons Family Funeral Services, in York, says his complaints "aren't about competition" but rather the "industrial" manner in which the company runs what should be a sensitive humane service. He claims the 25 or so staff employed there won't be able to offer adequate care to the deceased.

Martin, who is also a Conservative councillor for the Osbaldwick and Derwent Ward, said: “When we take deceased loved ones into our care, most of the bodies will be fine. But others will break down or start to decompose quickly, and require specialist care. How can so few staff realistically look after so many bodies and ensure they are kept in good condition.”

“Would you want your loved one to be kept in a mortuary among the remains of 700 people? Serious questions have to be raised about this practice."

Pure Cremation specialises in ‘direct cremations', but Martin claims the large-scale operation they are proposing with the new site is "insensitive" to mourning families.

He said: "I'm not questioning their service, rather the industrial scale of the facility. The service a funeral director offers with a direct cremation isn't quick or simple like Pure Cremation makes it out to be.

"You are supposed to build a relationship with the family and friends, you check up on them before and in the weeks after, their mental health and wellbeing are very important. You ensure you are happy with their decision, talk them through the ins and outs of the process kindly and sensitively, ensuring they have made the correct decision.

"There is a time and a place for unattended direct cremations - but the increased industrial scale they are suggesting with this new site is just very disturbing. All I see this site as is an inhumane conveyor belt or factory - loved ones deserve respect.

"Their lack of care is unbelievable really, it is clearly designed to line their pockets instead of looking out for bereaved families. They target vulnerable adults who watch ‘daytime’ TV with misleading adverts and financial incentives.

"All local funeral directors offer direct cremations at a similar or lower price to Pure Cremation, but I always ask if people and their families are aware of what they are. I’ve had people who’ve come to me after taking out direct cremation plans who didn’t know what they were."

Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Hook has also raised concerns suggesting it would affect businesses and hotels on the industrial estate.

In an objection letter, she said: "People will not want to work or stay so close to such a large mortuary, and I expect there will be a reluctance for businesses to move into the estate when units become empty."

Others objected, saying that it would provide "zero economic integration" for independent funeral directors, stonemasons, churches, caterers, or florists. Other locals mentioned it could cause problems with traffic.

The cost of a traditional funeral - arranged by a funeral director, with a service at the crematorium or a burial - in the UK is around £4,700, according to Pure Cremations' Cost of Funerals Index. A Pure Cremation direct cremation is £1,595. This is a similar price to many local independent funeral services.

An application for the site conversion was submitted by Mark Seastron from Pure Cremation and MPD Built Environment Consultants Ltd to York Council on June 29 this year.

Alongside the body storage facility, six external cooling units, a new roller shutter door, and the extension of the existing car parking area, according to the planning application. Several rooms would be built inside, including a specialist procedure area, ancillary storage, and an operational logistics base.

Plans say the facility would operate all day to store bodies collected from residences, care homes and hospices before they are sent on for cremation. It is thought bodies would arrive in private ambulances in body bags and be checked on arrival before being placed in coffins.

Racks five coffins high would store them for up to four days. They would then be transported on to the company's crematoriums across the UK or to third-party facilities. Plans say the location would be closed to the public and monitored by CCTV.

Pure Cremation stated in its planning application that remains would be cared for in a dignified way in the discreet facility. They added they currently run a similar facility in Knutsford staffed by 22 people without issue.

The company’s plans stated: “As the business continues to see growth in the type of service it offers, it has become clear that a new base is required to serve the North East of the country as currently bodies have to be transported to Cheshire to be stored before they are sent for cremation elsewhere.

“Pure Cremation occupy a similar premises on a business park in Knutsford, Cheshire, no complaints or adverse impact are reported from that site. The whole operation is dignified, quiet and discreet.”

O'Neill Associates, acting on behalf of Pure Cremation, said the facility would cause negligible levels of traffic and noise issues. They also said the scale of the building would remain unchanged.

The plans are currently awaiting a decision from council officers. Pure Cremation have been approached for comment. York Council declined to comment.