A new crematorium, only the second in the Republic, has been given planning permission for a site in west Dublin and will be operational early next year.
The facility will be part of an £8 million development at New lands Cross which will also include a 50-acre lawn cemetery and a 65-acre landscaped public park. The site is bounded by the M50, the Naas Road, Belgard Road and Kingswood Heights.
The cemetery project is being developed by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee - a non-profit making, statutory body.
The chief executive of the committee, Mr George McCullough, said that although only 4 per cent of funerals in Ireland involved cremation, Glasnevin Crematorium was already operating at close to full capacity.
Demand for cremation would inevitably rise given pressure on land resources around Dublin, he added.
