Surrey residents have started a petition asking city council to deny an application for a funeral hall and crematorium in a residential area. It has 1,500 signatures so far.
A crematorium doesn’t belong in a residential neighbourhood, says a group of Surrey residents.
“No one is opposed to building a crematorium in the city. We know we need one. But why this location?” said Surj Sandher, who lives near the proposed building site on 168 Street across from Tynehead Regional Park.
Surrey’s Anniedale-Tynehead neighbourhood is set to undergo massive changes over the next decades, which could eventually see 30,000 people living in the area where Highway 1 meets 176 Street. In October, city staff recommended that council deny an application for an official community plan amendment that would allow for a large funeral facility and crematorium on 12 acres of land designated “suburban cluster.”
Council voted to send the plan back to staff to “work with the applicant to address the negative impact of displacing water run-off in the 200-year floodplain, parking concerns, and the placement of the building,” said a statement from the City of Surrey. “The applicant has been working to address these issues since that time.”
The developer behind the project is Five Rivers Community Services Society, which operates the Riverside Funeral Home in Delta. Postmedia reached out to the funeral home but did not receive a response before deadline.
Monica Matsi said she was surprised when she recently received a flyer notifying her of a development application for a crematorium across the street. The flyer was distributed to homes close to the proposed site, but not the wider neighbourhood.
She went door to door last week to inform her neighbours and also took flyers to the regional park to hand out to walkers and joggers, as well as those who came to watch salmon spawning in the creek.
Sandher said the city should prioritize homes for residents over a crematorium that logically belongs in a commercial or industrial area. Allowing development in the flood plain also creates a host of issues, including increased flood risk to other properties, he said.
Raj Khatar said there are already traffic concerns on 168 Street. The facility would bring hundreds of cars more each day, with possible issues around parking.
He said the petition has gained 1,500 signatures in a short time, with a “groundswell” of people opposed to the project.
In its statement, the city said the applicant is planning a community meeting for early in the new year. A date for the project to return to council has not been set, but the rezoning application will require a public hearing if council chooses to advance it at that time.
Surrey Coun. Linda Annis said she has met with several neighbours and shares their concerns about traffic and the suitability of a crematorium in a residential neighbourhood. But she also recognized the need for a large funeral facility in Surrey.
Coun. Gordon Hepner said he expects council will listen to public input, but so far he is “not a proponent and believe that other areas would be more suitable.”
Coun. Doug Elford said he wouldn’t comment before the public hearing and was “still on the fence.”
There are currently 50 crematoriums in B.C. overseen by Consumer Protection B.C., which regulates and licenses them under provincial law.
When a business applies for a crematorium licence, Consumer Protection ensures the equipment is operating within the manufacturer’s specifications. Concerns about waste or emissions are the responsibility of local government or the Ministry of Environment.
While the laws don’t address the number of crematoriums in B.C., “generally speaking, we don’t hear from consumers about a lack of crematoriums in B.C. or Metro Vancouver specifically,” said a spokesperson with Consumer Protection.