Purpose

Approval of reallocation of budget from existing cremator replacement project budget (E3629) to undertake feasibility study assessing all options for future provision of cremation and burial services at Haycombe

Decision

The Cabinet Members agree that:

£800k of the originally approved £1.5m budget from the Cremator Replacement project, approved in Single Member Decision E3629, will be allocated to the Haycombe Decarbonisation and Improvement Programme to undertake feasibility studies, surveys and investigations and prepare an Outline Business Case to assess all options for the future provision of cremation and burial services at Haycombe including exploring opportunities for income generation.

This Single Member Decision supersedes Single Member Decision E3629 and replaces the previously approved cremator replacement project with a wider strategic feasibility study for the future service provision at Haycombe.

Authority will be delegated to the Director of Place Management, in

consultation with the Cabinet Members for Sustainability and Communication &Community and the S151 Officer, to procure and appoint the consultants, contractors and specialist advisers and to take all necessary operational decisions associated with delivery of that work programme.

They will note the outcomes of the feasibility studies and Outline Business Case, including preferred options, costs, risks, funding requirements and delivery timescales, will be reported to Members for a future decision on whether to proceed to the next stage of the programme.

Reasons for the decision

Haycombe is a much-loved 35 acre site on the edge of Bath with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Customer feedback is resoundingly positive and relatives talk of the importance of the site for them and their loved ones. Haycombe caters for all faiths and those with no faith and this is reflected within the services offered which have been expanded and improved over the years.

Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium provides the only cremation and burial service within Bath and North East Somerset. The existing cremators are over 20 years old and have reached the end of their operational life, creating increasing maintenance, reliability and service continuity risks meaning a long-term replacement strategy is required.

This provides the council with an opportunity to support the Council's Net Zero ambitions through installing electric cremator technology which has the potential to remove the direct use of gas from the cremation process and contribute towards reducing emissions from the Council's operational estate.

The council will undertake a feasibility study to assess all the options to maximise investment in an electric crematorium to quantify the benefits, whole-life costs, deliverability and programme implications.  These opportunities will also extend to exploring other income opportunities such as wake facilities etc.

In addition to the need to replace the cremators, the Council faces increasing pressure on burial capacity at Haycombe Cemetery. Current projections indicate that the site has approximately eight years of burial space remaining, with some sections expected to reach capacity sooner. This is particularly significant for communities and faith groups who require burial rather than cremation. Population growth across Bath and North East Somerset is also expected to place additional demand on bereavement services in the coming years which requires a degree of strategic investment to address.

The Council owns approximately forty acres of adjoining land to the west of the existing cemetery which has the potential to provide land to meet the needs of cremation and burial capacity on the site in future years. Significant investigation work is required to establish its suitability from planning, heritage, landscape, environmental, drainage and engineering perspectives.

The feasibility study will therefore consider both the future provision of cremation services and the long-term expansion of burial capacity through a single integrated programme to enable efficient, coordinated assessment of service requirements, site constraints, operational impacts, planning considerations and future investment needs.

Approval is therefore sought to reallocate a proportion of the existing approved cremator replacement budget to enable the Council to undertake the surveys, investigations, specialist studies and Outline Business Case necessary to determine a preferred long-term investment solution for cremation and burial provision at Haycombe. The outcomes of this work will be reported back to Members before any decision is taken to proceed to delivery.

Alternative options considered

Option A – replace with new gas cremators within the current crematorium

which would result in some structural works, disruption to service delivery. This option is the least expensive option but would tie the council in to continued gas use for the next 20 years.

Option  B - Install  2  hybrid  cremators  (gas  and  electric)  which  would  result  in significant structural works, service disruption, and increased cost, reduced gas consumption but would also tie the council in to continued gas use for the next 20 years.

Option  C  (1) – install  2  electric  cremators  within  the  existing  building  which would require a significant extension of the existing building (40%), significant service  disruptions  over  an  extended  period  of  time,  considerable  increased cost and risk profile although would remove gas from the cremation process.

Option C (2) – Install 2 electric cremators within a new build fit for purpose state of  the  art  crematorium  with  the  associated  risks  and  expenditure  of  a  major construction project and remove gas from the cremation process.

Option  D – Phased  approach  installing  1  hybrid  ready  cremator  now  with phased  install  in  future  with  some  additional  costs,  service  disruption  in  the future 2nd phase to replace the 2nd cremator.  Would reduce gas consumption but still tie the council into continued gas use for the 20+ years.

Option – Do Nothing.  Serious service delivery risk of continuing to operate old cremators  which  could  fail  at  any  point  with  no  back  up  for  customers  as cremations  will  divert  to  neighbouring  facilities.  There  are  also  increased maintenance  costs  every  year. See  Appendix 1  Bereavement  Service  Key Risks.