Westerleigh to open new Herne Bay Crematorium
Herne bay Crematorium, which will be the 40th site within the group, will also be one of the most environmentally-friendly crematoria in the country
Westerleigh Group will be opening a new crematorium next month to serve the Kent communities in and around Herne Bay, Whitstable and Canterbury.
Herne bay Crematorium, which will be the 40th site within the group, will also be one of the most environmentally-friendly crematoria in the country.
The crematorium will make use of the latest advanced filtration and abatement technology, including NOx abatement, which will make a significant contribution towards offsetting the site’s carbon footprint.
To reduce its dependency on external sources of energy, the group also installed a solar photovoltaic system, zonal heating system and low-energy lighting.
The new site will be located in Bullockstone Road within 14 acres of grounds, surrounded by mature woodland and agricultural fields.
At the heart of the site is a contemporary chapel building with a seating capacity of 105 and significant additional space available.
In addition, the site will provide 89 standard parking spaces and four accessible parking spaces, plus an overflow car park. The site will also benefit from a fit-out of electric vehicle charging stations to accommodate the charging of four cars.
In time for the opening, the group has appointed James Brown as the first manager for Herne Bay Crematorium. Brown has previously been the manager of another Westerleigh site in Kent, Charing Crematorium, since July 2022.
He joined the funeral industry as a chapel organist at Charing and Barham crematoria in 2012 after finishing university.
In August 2016, he joined the team at Barham full-time as a crematorium assistant, before transferring to Charing in 2019, first as assistant manager and then manager.
Brown said: “I am really looking forward to the challenge of managing a brand-new, purpose-built facility and being able to reach out to the funeral directors and families in and around the Herne Bay area.
“I want Herne Bay Crematorium to become a very good neighbour and establish an extremely positive presence in the local community.”
