Multi-million pound plans for a crematorium in Huntingdon have been submitted by Huntingdon Town Council – a month after a rival bid was put forward.

The town council is proposing to develop a crematorium, cemetery and memorial gardens on 32 acres of land in Jubilee Park, at an estimated cost of about £3.5million.

The authority has formally lodged the application with Huntingdonshire District Council after consulting town councillors, sports teams who currently use the site, and members of the public earlier this year.

If granted planning consent, the crematorium could host more than 800 cremations per year, at a proposed cost of £690 per ceremony, and a further 40 to 50 burials each year. To develop the plan, the council has been working with consultancy Cemetery Development Services Ltd (CDSL).

“It is a significant project in terms of scale and cost but it is going to give back to the community in the long term,” Justin Smith, CDSL founder, told the council’s annual town meeting, held in April.

“The design is going to be bespoke, and going to keep it fairly modern and fairly fresh.”

Under the plans, the existing sports clubhouse will be refurbished to provide hireable function rooms for wakes and council functions, a public

café, an ashes collection space and administration offices. The proposal also includes the main chapel which will seat about 100 people, along with a flower court and memorial gardens.

“One of the requests from the steering group is that they want to try and recall the Fenland aspect, on the site there will be an awful lot of water used around the build,” Mr Smith added.

Along with the crematorium, the town council is proposing to set aside space for an initial 2,700 burial plots, as well as natural burial area,

and room to expand, if necessary. The plans state: “The new crematorium and cemetery development will include the incorporation of the equipment required to conduct cremations as well as providing sufficient parking provision and generally improve bereavement facilities for the borough.”

The planning application comes just weeks after Dignity Funerals submitted separate plans for a crematorium at Lodge Farm, between Broughton and Kings Ripton.