Warehouse in Plympton to be turned into mortuary
Co-op Funeralcare has been given permission to go ahead with their plans for the building on Cot Hill Trading Estate
Co-op Funeralcare has been given permission to turn a warehouse on a Plymouth trading estate into a mortuary.
The city council has allowed a change of use application for the building on Cot Hill Trading Estate at Plympton to become a funeral care centre.
The Co-op said the centre to receive and prepare bodies of the deceased was needed to respond to the pandemic and local demand for funeral services.
An objector claimed the use of “mortuary hubs” was disrespectful to the dead and their grieving families, and represented the “industrialisation” of the sector.
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 included 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 planning 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.”
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 statement said services at the centre would include preparation of bodies and embalming in an embalming theatre, as well as personalisation of coffins. Around 14 full-time and 14 part-time staff would be employed and 24-hour use was needed to receive bodies, but most of the work would take place during the day.
There would be a reception area, a room for meeting clients, facilities for visitors and a ‘viewing room’ to allow friends and family to see the deceased who would be taken to other locations for burial or cremation.
The statement said Co-op Funeralcare was the UK’s leading funeral provider, operating more than 1,000 branches and care centres.
It said: “The applicant has extensive experience in funeral care operations and seeks to ensure that clients and the deceased are treated with the upmost respect, care and consideration. Co-op as a community focused member-owned organisation also always aims to be a good neighbour to the communities it serves.”
The statement said the plan would bring a vacant building back into use and provide jobs in an established employment area, away from homes.
It said that while Devon had been affected less than elsewhere by the pandemic, there had been a “significant increase” in the demand for mortuary services and there was a “clear and pressing need for additional mortuary space in the area”.
"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
The change of use application was given conditional approval by planning officers under delegated powers.