Pet crematorium plans for Mid-West on hold after objection

An appeal has been lodged against the recent decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission for a pet crematorium. Vets in the area have backed the proposal.

Plans for the first pet crematorium in the Mid-West, in an industrial estate in Ennis, have been put on hold over an objection that the facility is “unnecessary and unsuitable” for the location.

An appeal has been lodged by a Co Meath resident against the recent decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission for alterations to a vacant unit in Ennis Enterprise Centre on the Gort Road Industrial Estate to establish a pet crematorium.

The initiative has been proposed by Danny and Aimee Keller, who run a pet grooming business in Ennis.

There are currently only six crematoria in the Republic – Kerry, Wexford, Mayo, Waterford, Meath and Westmeath.

“The proposed service will be ideally suited in the Mid-West where there is a significant latent demand for such a facility,” the Kellers said.

The couple said all animals would be brought to the crematorium by a specialist vehicle from the owner’s home or veterinary practice.

They claimed there would be no smoke from the cremator unit, while all emissions would be “clean” and there would be no unacceptable impact on the local environment.

Among the conditions imposed by the council is that the facility would only be for the cremation of small domestic pets, with a maximum daily limit of seven cremations.

Concern about environmental impact

However, the proposed development has been opposed by Navan resident Don Weldon, who has expressed concern about its environmental impact and traffic implications as well as an “incompatibility of land uses” because of its proximity to the local Educate Together national school and Cois na hAbhna auditorium.

Mr Weldon claimed the environment section of Clare County Council had wanted further information about the details of the proposal, but it was not sought by the local authority’s planners.

He also claimed abandoned vehicles left within the industrial estate near the vacant unit meant people using the proposed pet crematorium would have to “move dead animals through the industrial estate to the unit”. 

The proposed development has been supported by 32 veterinary practices in Clare and Limerick, which claimed the region currently lacks such a facility, with the nearest pet crematorium in Co Kerry.

As owners of a busy veterinary practice, Ennis Veterinary Surgery said it would provide a much-needed service for pet owners in the county.

“We have found that cremation is a popular option amongst our clients who wish to respectfully handle the remains of their deceased pets,” said Jerry O’Connor and Niamh Morrissey.

The council noted that the operators of the crematorium may require separate licences and certificates from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture.

It ruled the facility would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or pose a risk to public health.

A ruling on the appeal by An Bord Pleanála is expected by mid-April.