Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Glenrothes crematorium plan with 116 objections recommended for refusal

Fife councillors will decide on the proposal this week.

Artist impression of how the Glenrothes crematorium could look if approved.
Artist impression of how the Glenrothes crematorium could look. Image: Dignity Plc

An unpopular plan for a crematorium in Glenrothes has been recommended for refusal.

The bid by Respect Developments sparked an outcry last year, with nearby residents raising fears over harmful emissions.

Fife Council received 116 objections to the planning application, which is due to go before councillors on Wednesday.

An artist impression of the entrance to the proposed new crematorium building in Glenrothes.
An artist impression of the entrance to the proposed new crematorium building in Glenrothes. Image: Dignity Plc

And planning officer Jamie Penman is urging members of the west and central planning committee to give the proposal the thumbs down.

If approved, the crematorium in Southfield Industrial Estate will include memorial gardens, 193 parking spaces and new vehicular access.

A construction skills academy providing employment for more than 100 people is also mooted.

The applicant said it would be “a nice quiet neighbour” and address long waits for funerals.

No need for fourth crematorium in Fife

However, in a report to the committee, Mr Penman says the council’s economic development team does not support the bid.

“The site forms both allocated and safeguarded employment land,” he says.

The officer says the sale of substantial amounts of employment land in Glenrothes recently suggests there could be demand for the Southfield site.

A copy of the Glenrothes crematorium plan sent to neighbours.
A copy of the Glenrothes crematorium plan sent to neighbours. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Economic development colleagues also fear a crematorium in an industrial estate could risk the viability of existing businesses.

Meanwhile, bereavement services have questioned the need for a fourth crematorium in Fife.

They say that while the three council-run crematoria run at almost full capacity, this is not always the case.

And they question the logic in having a remembrance garden beside noisy businesses.

No public transport to the Glenrothes site

Respect Developments finally bought the Southwood site in 2021 after it failed to sell at auction, despite 13 years of trying.

They said their plan would address an unmet need.

However, Mr Penman says the loss of employment land and a lack of public transport to the site are unacceptable.

“The proposal would result in a use which would prioritise the use of the private car,” he said.

Conversation