City of York Council identified several key areas for improvement to the crematorium following a Best Value Review of the service in 2002 and from customer comments, including car parking arrangements and refurbishment of the chapel.

Work will include: Creating a separate entrance and exit, with a new exit to the rear of the chapel Building a new access road to the rear of the chapel Refurbishing the chapel Extending facilities to display books of remembrance in the Chapel of Remembrance Upgrading the existing toilet facilities Extending the car park Upgrading the cremators to improve emission monitoring and energy efficiency

The council's Executive member for environment and sustainability, Councillor Andrew Waller, and members of the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Panel, will be asked to agree to an increase in the cremation fee of £30 from 1 January, 2004 to support the work, at their meeting on Wednesday, 10 December.

The main works will be timed to take place in early summer - generally a quieter period for the crematorium.