NEW moves to build a £3million crematorium on the outskirts of Ipswich are unnecessary according to town planning bosses.An application has been lodged with Suffolk Coastal District to develop 18 acres of woodland known as Porters Covert, in Nacton, near to the junction with the A12 and A14.

NEW moves to build a £3million crematorium on the outskirts of Ipswich are unnecessary according to town planning bosses.

An application has been lodged with Suffolk Coastal District to develop 18 acres of woodland known as Porters Covert, in Nacton, near to the junction with the A12 and A14.

The project, put forward by East Suffolk Crematorium Ltd, is intended to help Suffolk cope with the growing number of cremations in the county each year.

The organisation is made up of a small group of unnamed businessmen.

But Ipswich Borough Council, which has been consulted as a neighbouring authority, today said there is already more than enough capacity.

A planning report stated: “The existing upgraded Ipswich Crematorium meets the current and future needs of the Ipswich area.

“There is no need for an additional crematorium serving the same area.

“The site is also a countryside area not designated for development.”

Architects Rob Allerton and Hugh Thomas, both of Felixstowe presented their proposals to Suffolk's funeral directors at an event last month.

Mr Allerton said that the crematorium was intended to be a complimentary one to Ipswich rather than a stand alone one, but they believed it was needed because of the ever growing population, particularly in Suffolk Coastal.

Ipswich's existing crematorium is owned and operated by the borough council and was substantially rebuilt to meet modern environmental standards in the late 1990s.

An earlier proposal to build a crematorium on the site was put to one side after attracting substantial public opposition in the Nacton area.