CPUK wins £1.78m crematorium contract

North West construction firm Construction Partnership UK (CPUK) has won the contract to build a much-needed crematorium in North Wales.

The £1.78m project near Connah’s Quay in Flintshire has been awarded by Memoria, the third-largest private crematoria operators in the UK, and is CPUK’s second in the £1bn UK funerals sector.

It’s the first crematorium in Flintshire and it is expected to reduce waiting times for local people currently traveling further afield to use facilities in Chester, Denbighshire, Wrexham or Colwyn Bay.

The Flintshire crematorium will be Memoria’s third Welsh site following new builds in Glamorgan and Denbighshire.

CPUK will be on site for 40 weeks on the greenfield site in Oakenholt Lane with the expected completion date around mid-2018.

The architect is Richard Vest of Ipswich, an experienced crematorium designer, who has proposed a single storey steel framed structure incorporating a 95-seat chapel, crematorium area, storage rooms and all the landscaping.

In 2012, CPUK was named Contractor of the Year after successfully completing construction of a £1.5m funeral parlour for Co-operative Funeral Services in Oldham, on time and to budget, as part of the crucial enabling work on the £275m upgrade of Manchester’s Metrolink system.

Steve Burke, managing director of CPUK, said: “This scheme provides another great example of our group businesses working together to bring innovation and savings to our customers.

“Our in-house remediation division has created a very cost effective earthworks solution before we start the main construction work which, in addition to the crematorium itself, will include new access roadways, car parks, formal ponds and ornamental fountains, memorial gardens and extensive soft landscaping.”

The project has been welcomed by Flintshire Council member Ian Dunbar who said: “We have been waiting quite a while for this.

“People have had to wait for weeks with their loved ones who have died because of the waiting lists in Chester and Pentrebychan.

“I think the good thing is we will definitely have a crematorium in the county and it is on the doorstep for the people of Flintshire.”

For CPUK, the project demonstrates the firm’s ability to negotiate competitively for work in all sectors and sees the Skelmersdale-based builder extend its construction footprint to North Wales.