A bid for a new Angus crematorium on rural farmland near Arbroath has been blocked by council planners.
Farmer Neil McEwan wanted to site the development beside the B961 Monikie to Friockheim road.
Last May he lodged the plan for site near Carmyllie Hall.
He said it was the ideal location for the development.
The applicants also hoped another crematorium in Angus would help drive down funeral costs.
They said Angus and Dundee are the most expensive crematoriums in Scotland.
Families are travelling further afield to save on funeral costs.
The Greystone crematorium would run an average of three services a day, with a maximum limit of five on week days.
The Myreside Farms business behind the application also rears goats and runs successful ‘goats in coats’ tours each spring.
But the proposal drew 16 objections on issues including the choice of location and loss of agricultural land.
Officials refuse Greystone crematorium proposal
However, it was transport issues which saw the plan blocked.
Officials refused the application under delegated powers.
They said the proposal was in breach of the local and national planning policy.
The handling report said: “In summary, national planning framework 4 (NPF4) emphasises the need to site new development in locations which have good access for sustainable travel options and reduce reliance on the private car.
“Supporting information indicates the site was chosen so that it would be within a 30-minute drive of the Angus towns and Dundee.
“The majority of traffic visiting the site would do so by private car.
“The transportation statement estimates that there would be an average of 3 and a maximum of 5 cremations per day, which it suggests would be attended by an average of 70 people per cremation arriving in 24 cars (with an occasional maximum of 124 people per cremation arriving in 67 cars).
“Public transport options serving the site are extremely limited.”
The only morning bus from Arbroath would pass the site at 8am, an hour before the earliest cremation would take place.
And planners said there are no public transport services giving direct access to the site from other burghs within Angus, or from Dundee.
The council’s own roads service objected to the proposal because the location was “ostensibly inaccessible” by sustainable means of transport.
The refusal report added: “A crematorium in this location would promote an unsustainable pattern of travel and development.
“The proposal also involves the development of greenfield land in circumstances where the site is not allocated for development.”
It remains to be seen whether the applicant will appeal the decision to the council’s development management review committee.
Appeal hearing due over Duntrune crematorium plan
The Carmyllie decision comes as appeal committee councillors prepare to re-consider an application for another proposed Angus crematorium.
Farmer Guthrie Batchelor was granted permission for the Duntrune site after a lengthy planning battle.
But the decision was challenged in the Court of Session by a local objector.
The court ordered a new appeal committee to be set up to look at the proposal again.
A new date for the appeal hearing has yet to be set.
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