Bolsover District Council has broken ground on a £9.6m project in Shirebrook that will see a new crematorium built.

Named Roseland Park & Crematorium, the complex is due to be completed in spring 2025. It will include a main crematorium building, wake facility, florist kiosk and take away refreshments, car parking and both formal memorial gardens and informal parkland that will grow into a beautiful landscape to enhance the biodiversity of the site.

Situated next to the existing cemetery in the town, the building work is being carried out by the council’s company, Dragonfly Development Ltd, and is a partnership with Shirebrook Town Council.

Consultation has taken place with local funeral directors, who gave their support for the project because it will provide a facility for local people instead of them having to travel to Mansfield or Chesterfield to say goodbye to loved ones.

Council leader Coun Steve Fritchley said: “It’s been a long time in preparation, but I am delighted to see work starting on site. This is partnership working at its best, as the town council have donated the land and our own company, Dragonfly Development Ltd are building it, for the benefit of local people.

“Shirebrook is a great central location for this type of facility and it will save travelling times and enable family and friends to celebrate the lives of their loved ones without feeling rushed. This is the latest in a long line of ambitious projects we have that will help enhance the facilities available to residents of Bolsover District.”

Roseland Park and Crematorium is aiming to achieve BREEAM ‘excellent’ accreditation – an environmental accreditation for environmental efficiency.

Bolsover District Council Cabinet Member for Growth, Counr John Ritchie said: “Providing the district with a brand-new, environmentally friendly crematorium is a hugely important project. We understand the difficulty people in the area face when organising funerals and having to travel long distances.

“Saying goodbye to loved ones is never easy and we hope that by providing this facility in Shirebrook, we can make the process a little more straight forward.”