Work on South Holland’s new crematorium near Surfleet is on target for an autumn finish.
Currently there is no crematorium in the district and its completion means bereaved South Holland families will no longer face journeys of an hour or more to Boston, Peterborough or King’s Lynn.
Builders moved on site in December and despite wet weather and snow there have been very few days when nothing could be done on the land just off the A152 link road north of Surfleet.
Brick courses are in, scaffolding is up, and 200 mature trees have been planted along with more than one kilometre of hedging.
The planting includes hornbeams to line the avenue leading from the main road to the crematorium.
Landscaping work so far has also involved construction of a huge earth bank facing Gosberton Road to help screen the site from traffic noise.
The developers are using local contractors, Moulton Seas End firm D Brown Builders Ltd, and up to ten workers are on site each day.
One of the developers, Andrew Bowser, said: “We are on target.
“The building has gone well and despite the wet weather we are on schedule to open in the autumn.
“The most pleasing thing is that virtually all of the landscaping is now in, which means we will means we will have a nice site for people to come to when we are ready to open.”
He said the newly constructed sloping earth bank beside the main road is there to help make the site a “more peaceful and tranquil setting”.
Most crematoriums offer half-hourly slots for mourners to arrive, attend a service and leave.
But the new crematorium will give mourners double the time.
Features of the new crematorium will include:
nA ten acre parkland setting with landscaped memorial gardens;
nAn 80-seat chapel with a covered flower court;
nThe latest environmentally audited equipment, with fully filtered emissions which compare favourably with those of a car;
nA cremator capable of taking larger, 44-inch coffins.