WARRINGTON looks set to see its first pet cremation scheme begin, as the council has approved an innovative new project.

Permission has been granted by planners at the town hall for Walton Lea Crematorium to install a new pet cremation device.

The proposals were put before the council in February last year, and an original decision date was given for April 2023 - however, the decision was deemed to require approval from the relevant committee.

Following a decision from the committee, Walton Lea Crematorium has been given permission to install the new pet cremator at its site.

It is expected that the new cremator will be situated to the east of the main crematorium premises.

One of the first documents to be submitted in relation to this project was an ecology report, which stated:

  • All excavations on site should be covered at night or a ramp should be provided to allow amphibians to exit excavations. All excavations should be checked for amphibians each morning prior to the re-commencement of any works.
  • All exposed new pipework and drains should be capped at night so as to avoid trapping amphibians.
  • All excavated materials/waste should be stored in skips or similar and not on the ground where it could be used as a refuge/resting area by amphibians. Alternatively, all waste should be removed from the site daily.
  • All stored building materials that might be used as temporary resting places by amphibians should be stored off the ground on pallets or similar.
  • Scaffold footings will be placed on sand to prevent newts from taking temporary refuge underneath the footings.
  • If GCN [Great Crested Newts] are found at any time during works, then works should cease immediately and advice sought from a suitably qualified GCN ecologist.

The new pet cremator will be found in a shipping container on the site.

A condition of approval for this project is: "If the container hereby approved is not used for pet cremation for a period of two years, starting from the day after the date of last use, the container shall be removed from the site and the land re-instated to its condition prior to the erection of the container."

This development was approved on January 19, 2024.