Worthing Crematorium could shut for months if plans approved

Replacing gas-powered cremators at Worthing Crematorium with electric alternatives could cost millions and require the site to close for at least six months, according to Adur and Worthing councils.

A report looking at decarbonising emissions from the authorities’ own services and buildings found the crematorium, in Horsham Road, Findon, to be a particular challenge to the councils’ plans to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

The cremators currently use gas and the councils said replacing them with electric alternatives would be a major undertaking.

They said: “While we don’t have a detailed cost analysis at this stage, we know it would be a multi-million pound project.”

The costs would include buying electric cremators, construction work to remove the existing ones, upgrading the electrical supply to the facility, and lost income while the crematorium was closed. 

The councils anticipated it would need to close for at least six months if the work went ahead, although a feasibility study would need to be conducted to establish an exact timescale. 

There are currently no confirmed plans to replace the cremators, with further work needed to establish what would be technically and financially feasible.

A spokesperson for the councils said: “We want to make the service as environmentally friendly as possible, which will involve reducing the impact of the cremators. We will develop a strategy to target that objective.

“We recognise that the crematorium presents unique challenges on our mission to carbon neutrality.

"We manage the cremators to minimise gas consumption and are investigating if there are ways to reduce the impact of the crematorium, while considering opportunities to offset emissions.”