Official opening for Fenland Crematorium in March later this month

THE new environmentally-friendly Fenland Crematorium in March will be officially opened later this month.

Family-run construction and civil engineering company Stepnell used 150 workers to build the state-of-the-art building which was completed at the end of August.

It’s the sixth crematorium that has been constructed by the company who completed the work on behalf of Dignity plc.

Mark Wakeford, Stepnell Managing Director, said: “What makes this project special is the mercury gas abatement technology which will be used to comply with new emission requirements for 2013.

“There will be an upward trend in crematoria construction as the 2013 deadline approaches to accommodate this kind of technology and this new facility is leading the way in this field.

“The building is innovative in its attention to sustainable construction which has resulted in the high indoor air quality in the Chapel.

“We came up with a ventilation solution to provide fresh air to 10 people or 110 people, using an environmentally-friendly natural ventilation system.”

The Stepnell team had to construct the crematorium out of the existing flood plain on the site which had to be excavated first, before construction began.

The crematorium will be operated by Dignity plc.

Jennifer Yardley, Regional Manager for Dignity, said: “This new crematorium is state-of the-art and will benefit Fenland by offering shorter journey times and services that last 45 minutes.

“An official opening that the public and clergy may attend will be held later this month.”