Construction work to begin on Cyprus’ first crematorium

Construction work is set to begin on Cyprus’ first crematorium within the first half of the year, according to the director of the company undertaking the project, MW Crematorium Cyprus’ Neofytos Christodoulides.

The crematorium is set to be built in the industrial area adjacent to the Paphos village of Ayia Varvara, on a plot which is over 455,000 square metres in area and will cost around €2.2 million.

The building itself is set to be 11,000 square metres in area and will be built from reinforced concrete and bricks. It will be built over two floors – a basement and a ground floor.

On the ground floor, there will be a main entrance and a waiting area for visitors, three offices for crematorium staff, a kitchen, a ceremony area with seating for 70 funeralgoers, as well as sanitary facilities.

In the basement, there will be facilities for receiving and preparing the bodies, an incinerator, an ash delivery office, refrigerators for the temporary storage of the body, as well as three parking spaces for cars.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Neofytos Christodoulides said there had been some minor details which had created delays to the project, but that work is expected to begin on the project within the year.

He also spoke about the cost of the project, saying that incinerators are “expensive machines”, which can cost up to €1 million.

Asked about the procedure for those who wish to be cremated after death, he said that currently, people must make a declaration by filling out a special form. This form is then submitted to the interior ministry for approval.

To this end, he noted that the procedures in countries such as Greece and the United Kingdom are different, saying that if the deceased’s child or spouse wishes for them to be cremated, their will is followed.

He said that he hopes such a simplification of the relevant laws and processes can also be implemented in Cyprus, “especially for cases in which someone dies suddenly without having completed the relevant application while alive.”

He went on to explain the planned location of the crematorium, saying that there had been a “great interest” in the construction of a crematorium from third country nationals in the Paphos district.

Between 70 and 80 per cent of third country nationals residing in the Paphos district prefer cremation as their form of after-death care, as opposed to other options, such as burial.

In addition, he said, a number of Greek Cypriots had also expressed interest in the possibility of being cremated after death, but that at present, funeral homes offering cremation services were having to send bodies abroad for cremation, incurring increased costs for their families.

With the construction of a crematorium on the island, he said the cost per body is expected to range between €800 and €900.