A cremator in Grahamstown, Thames?

Both through recent public meetings and a petition that was delivered to Council today, our Council is well aware of the high level of interest and concern regarding the proposed placement of a cremator in Grahamstown.

Until a formal and detailed application is lodged with Council we are unable to predetermine whether resource consent will be required or, if it is required whether Council would publicly notify or not.

In general, if an activity is not specified in the District Plan it is viewed as being non-complying. We have requested that Twentymans Funeral Services submit details of his cremator proposal so that our planning team can provide clearer advice on this.

Additional to Council processes, a cremator would be subject to applications to Waikato Regional Council and the Ministry of Health.

The work currently being undertaken on the subject building in Grahamstown is only repair and maintenance work which doesn't require a Building Consent. Any further building work that changes the use of the building will trigger a Building Consent as well as an assessment of whether Resource Consent is needed.

If a change of activity or a change of building use occurs without Council knowledge we are able to serve an abatement notice.

Could a cremator be located on Council land?

Council has in the past considered both Totara and Omahu cemeteries as potential sites to locate a cremator but no formal or detailed planning has taken place. We would need to consider the space requirements and whether there is sufficient land area to accommodate this without compromising future burial space.

Currently there's no plans to establish a crematorium on Council cemetery land but if approached we would be open to receiving proposals. If seriously considered this would likely be managed through a public open tender "Registration of Interest" (ROI) process.

A proposal for locating a crematorium on cemetery land would also be required to go through the same planning and consent processes as would a site proposal within the township including considering issues such as zoning, effects, building consent requirements, Waikato Regional Council and Ministry of Health approvals.

Twentymans Funeral Services has previously approached Council inquiring about the possibility of locating a cremator at Totara Cemetery but Twentymans have not pursued this any further than those initial inquiries.

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