The government wants the Planning Authority to identify sites away from cemeteries where stand-alone crematoria could be built.
She called on the PA to review its policy for the development of crematoriums and provide suitable sites for their construction.
A public consultation process launched last month explained that “the government is of the view that following the enactment of the Cremation Act [in 2019]the development of free-standing crematoria, including facilities, additional facilities for the burial of ashes and other supporting infrastructure, should be given favorable consideration”.
The public comment period ended on Wednesday.
The existing AP policy, published in 2015, allows crematoria to be “housed in a cemetery or elsewhere,” but does not specify specific suitable sites.
The review process will identify those locations, a government spokesperson said. Malta weather.
“The current process is aimed at defining specific planning policy criteria and suitable sites for the development of crematoria, the development of which is currently not specifically addressed by planning policy,” he said.
A law allowing the provision of cremation services in Malta was passed by Parliament in 2019 and almost immediately sparked a significant increase in the number of people who began to consider this new burial option for themselves or their loved ones. .
The law not only introduced an alternative to burial, but also allowed people to decide what to do with the ashes. It specifies that each crematorium has a morgue, an observation room, adequate facilities for the extraction of implants from the body, a cremation room and a storage room for remains.
Until 2019, Malta was the only European country without a cremation law and every request for cremation had to be made in a foreign country.
However, to date, the law is not yet in force. There are no crematoria yet and cremation services in Malta are not available.
In 2018, Active Group Ltd, which operates a funeral services business, saw a crematorium application rejected by the AP.
Last year, two years after the law was passed, the society presented new plans for a cremation facility on agricultural land next to the Santa Maria Addolorata cemetery.
Pending approval of permits, the company said it had been left in the dark about government plans for the area, despite “great public interest” and its 40 years of experience providing cremation services to the area. ‘foreign.
The company’s proposed development would take place in an area known as tal-Ħorr, marked as an outer development zone. This is a 7,000 square meter land owned by the company, and it is stated that the project will occupy approximately 10% of the land.
A year later, the company has still not received the green light for the project.
Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.
Support us
Comments are closed.