Construction firm Kier has started works to deliver a new crematorium on the outskirts of Plymouth.

Procured on the Southern Construction Framework, for Plymouth City Council, the multi-million-pound project will be set in 17 acres of countryside. Inspired by the landscape, the building will nestle into the slope of the site and be surrounded by pooled water.

Local Plymouth limestone will be used for the purpose-built crematorium, and windows will provide plenty of light and views out over the water and the landscape beyond.

The designs for the new crematorium have been developed with insights from the public and the funeral industry, after an extensive consultation exercise over the last few years.

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Produced by local architects Stride Treglown and Aecom, they show single-storey buildings nestled in green spaces with water pooled around the ceremony rooms.

Inside, light and open ceremony spaces with large windows are in keeping with the desire to provide a modern quality facility.

Reflective spaces will be created for memorials and scatterings alongside landscaping that embraces the local environment and ecology.

Expected to open in 2024, the state-of-the-art facility will replace the ageing crematoria at Weston Mill and Efford.

Doug Lloyd, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: "We are delighted be the Council’s construction partner for the delivery of this high-quality crematorium which will provide an important service for the people of Plymouth and the surrounding communities.”

"As a business that has been based in Plymouth for over 90 years, it is important to us that we ensure the project has a positive impact on the local economy and we look forward to working with the project team and Building Plymouth to provide opportunities for local people."