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Developer Richard Evans has submitted plans to Newport City Council to deliver a new £6m crematorium in Castleton Park.
The site would serve bereaved families living between Cardiff and Newport, with the aim of reducing journey times to funerals.
According to Evans, the facility would look after roughly 1,166 cremations per year, or four per day, similar to the Langstone Vale site to the east of Newport, which he also developed and opened six years ago.
The plans were submitted despite receiving “mixed” responses from residents of the 250-person village Michaelston-y-Fedw, in which a majority were in opposition of the facility.
However, six funeral director firms in the area, including J. Pidgeon and Son in Cardiff and Philip Tom and Sons of Pontymister, have “warmly welcomed” the proposed site.
In addition, the local branch of the Co-op Funeralcare network, James Summer Funeralcare, also expressed its support for the new crematorium.
Paul Dowding of Green Willow Funerals, one of the largest funeral directors in south Wales, said a new crematorium at Castleton would be “perfectly situated to give families a more dignified service”.
Following local feedback, the developer has proposed to widen Coalpit Lane, adding he was confident all “highway issues” could be resolved. Evans assured residents in Michaelston-y-Fedw that funeral-goers will access the crematorium from the A48 rather than drive through their village.
The submission of plans by Evans comes as demand for crematorium services is set to rise over the next two decades, with the Office for National Statistics forecasting a 15% increase in mortality across Cardiff, Newport and Caerphilly.
If approved, the crematorium in Castleton will open in 2026.
