Plans to use warehouse on Plymouth trading estate as mortuary branded as 'disrespectful'
Co-op Funeralcare is asking for permission to use the space, due to the 'urgent need' for facilities due to the pandemic
Co-op Funeralcare wants to use a warehouse on a Plymouth trading estate as a mortuary. The company is asking for permission from the city council to change the use of the building on Cot Hill Trading Estate at Plympton to a funeral care centre.
It says there is an urgent need for facilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the centre which would receive and prepare bodies of the deceased would be permanent to respond to local demand for funeral services.
An objector claims the use of “mortuary hubs” is disrespectful to the dead and their grieving families, and represents the “industrialisation” of the sector.
Jonathan Kelly wrote in his objection letter to the city council: “Unless Co-op Funeralcare makes it clear to the families that their loved ones will be taken to such a facility then I fear they will be under the impression that their relative has been cared for at the branch where the arrangements and any viewing takes place. Families take comfort in knowing their relative is at rest in one place rather than being conveyed via road between branches.”
Mr Kelly refers to a Channel 4 Dispatches programme made in 2012 called ‘Undercover Undertaker’ which was reported on by the Daily Mail with one picture captioned ‘Co-op Funeralcare were shown storing the bodies at a warehouse – the grieving families believed the deceased were at funeral homes’.
He also refers to a report from the Competition and Markets Authority into the funeral industry published in December 2020. He said the organisation received submissions criticising the practice of off-site storage on the grounds that it was not what families expected, particularly over longer distances, and the use of large storage facilities on the grounds that it was not respectful of the deceased.
"The lack of customer knowledge makes it critical for funeral directors to explain how and where deceased are being cared for.
"I strongly feel that care of the deceased should not be industrialised and that is the reason for my objection to this application."
Jonathan Kelly - Objector to plans
Co-op Funeralcare responded that the dignity and care of the deceased was always its highest priority and it was fully transparent with families so they knew where their loved one was at all times. It said the Plympton site had been carefully chosen to provide vital facilities to the local community and the highest level of care.
The change of use application for the vacant steel-frame building on the trading estate includes adding vent grilles and an outside car-wash canopy.
The other tenants on the estate alongside Plymouth Road near the Marsh Mills roundabout include National Tyres and Autocare, Graham, Topps Tiles and Plumb Center.
Documents with the Co-op Funeralcare application say the warehouse was previously occupied by a go-kart company then a steel fabrication firm, but has been vacant since the lease ended in March 2020, with little interest since then.
A statement from architects WD Harley submitted with the application said the rear yard of the building was secure and would “help provide the level of privacy required to ensure utmost respect for the deceased.”
It said the transfer of bodies from ambulances would take place inside the building in a reception area behind closed roller-shutters. Based on other working centres, between four and eight deliveries a day were expected.
A planning statement from consultants Pegasus Group, on behalf of Co-op Funeralcare, said due to the Covid-19 pandemic there was an “urgent and pressing need” for mortuary space.
It said the company was the country’s largest funeral provider and had been asked by the Government to “make every possible effort” to secure extra space to respond to the pandemic, but the Plympton site would be permanent due to current and expected future demand.
"The dignity and care of loved ones who rest with us is always our highest priority and we will never compromise on our standards in this area.
"This is why we continue to invest in new care centre facilities across the UK and the location of the proposed centre at Plympton has been carefully chosen to ensure it will offer vital facilities to the local community and the highest level of care at all times.
"We are fully transparent with our families so that they know where their loved one is whilst they are entrusted to our care. Proposals for the Plympton centre incorporate plans to include a reception area for meeting clients and a viewing room for friends and family to say their goodbyes."
Spokesperson for Co-op Funeralcare
A decision on the change of use application will be made by the city council after the end of consultation on Tuesday, February 2.