Fife could be home to Scotland’s first columbarium as part of plans for a woodland cemetery in Kinghorn.
Kinghorn Community Land Association (KCLA) is behind the proposal for the repository for cremation urns.
The group has purchased 10 acres of land next to the Ecology Centre.
It plans to create a woodland cemetery, which would be the first of its kind in Fife, including a wildflower meadow and a hilltop congregation area.
Run as a social enterprise, the project also aims to provide a wildlife habitat and benefit the environment with the use of biodegradable coffins.
“It’s an incredibly exciting project for Kinghorn,” said KCLA chair, Richard Brewster.
“There is a real shortage of cemetery space in Kinghorn and making these proposals a reality will provide an opportunity for people to have somewhere special to lay loved ones to rest.
“The cemetery will develop into a natural woodland and peaceful remembrance space with wildflower meadow and spectacular views over the Forth.
“The idea for the columbarium is based on an Iron Age barrow – a hollow mound with passages within it, with a central walled area somewhat like a broch, and a path that leads from the higher celebration platform.”
There are only three similar columbaria in the UK, and this would be the first in Scotland.
KCLA commissioned Edinburgh based architects Simpson and Brown to design the structure, and the firm worked with the community on the plans.
Mr Brewster added: “For the project to be successful we need to get as many people as possible to support it and we are encouraging people to show this support on the Fife Council planning website.
“We’ve had great feedback from all the consultation we’ve done so far, including formal support from Kinghorn Community Council, and we need to build on that momentum.
“If planning permission is granted we will need the community to support the funding and delivery of the project.”
John Sanders, lead architect at Simpson Brown, said the interior of the columbarium would be like an ancient tomb, similar to Maeshowe in Orkney.
He said: “The columbarium will have over 600 niches with each niche containing up to six urns allowing families to be interred together.
“We think that the result will be a unique and a characterful building.”
