By Maggie Gibson A SITE south of Knights End Road, March, has been chosen as the best option for a crematorium in Fenland. Oxfordshire based Mercia Crematoria Ltd considered 17 sites before submitting a planning application for the land west of March and

By Maggie Gibson

A SITE south of Knights End Road, March, has been chosen as the best option for a crematorium in Fenland.

Oxfordshire based Mercia Crematoria Ltd considered 17 sites before submitting a planning application for the land west of March and south of Knights End Road.

The site was previously allocated for an extension to March Golf Course but Merecia says the site is now available for acquisition, is well screened and is in a central location with good access.

The company says travelling to existing facilities at Peterborough, King's Lynn and Cambridge is causing "a substantial burden on bereaved persons when they need it least".

A report to Fenland District Council also adds: "An additional concern is the standard of service offered at the existing crematoria serving Fenland".

The company says that while existing crematoria do technically have the capacity to deal with the increased demand, bereaved families are suffering because of the conveyor like arrangements.

All three of the crematoria are being forced to offer booking intervals of just 30 minutes when the recommended time is 45 minutes.

The report says: "This is a contradiction of the recommended standard - with Peterborough Crematorium undertaking nine services a day and Cambridge running two services at a time from two chapels.

Cambridge and Peterborough also have capacity limitations with their cremators not being able to accommodate coffins any wider than 33ins. The size of cremators is becoming more relevant with the rise in obesity and currently coffins of 34ins and larger must be transported to a more distant crematorium. The proposed cremator for the Fenland crematorium will be able to accommodate coffins up to 42ins wide.

Of the 17 sites considered, one is on the edge of Wimblington, six on the southern side of March, nine are around Chatteris and a further site is located between Wimblington and March on the A141Isle of Ely Way.