Plans have been submitted for a new mortuary at Foresterhill in Aberdeen – paving the way for the closure of police headquarters in the city centre and “providing dignity for the deceased”.
Aberdeen Council has lodged a planning application for a replacement for the outdated mortuaries at Queen Street police station and at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which predate the Second World War.
The proposals have been drawn up by the local authority and landowner NHS Grampian and would provide replacement mortuary services for the north-east and Northern Isles.
Planned for the south-west of the Foresterhill Health Campus, the new mortuary facility would be built between Elmbank Medical Practice and Central Stores, close to Westburn Road.
Around three trees, scattered across the proposed site, would be felled to make way for the new build, which will also include a bereavement garden.
NHS Grampian bosses have previously agreed the ARI mortuary is “not fit for purpose” while a statement submitted alongside the planning application reads: “The background to the development proposals is rooted in a need to address longstanding issues with existing mortuary facilities serving the north-east and Northern Isles at both ARI and Queen Street.
“In terms of the physical condition of both facilities, their compliance with statutory standards, space utilisation and functional suitability they are in a poor, non-compliant condition and do not meet current expectations of a modern mortuary service.
“The services located in this new integrated mortuary will not only ensure clinical accreditation through compliance with all technical and clinical standards but also deliver an innovative design that will meet expectations of the bereaved, provide dignity for the deceased, support growth in the scope and nature of locally delivered forensic and educational activity, and improve resilience through additional capacity to support civil contingencies.
“A key aim of the project is to further improve dignity for the deceased and provide an enhanced environment for the bereaved and staff.”
The “state of the art” purpose-built replacement would be used as an integrated multi-purpose mortuary, serving use for NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council, Orkney and Shetland Island Councils, Aberdeen University, the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service and Police Scotland.
Last month, police chiefs revealed its move to “dispose” of its Aberdeen HQ in Queen Street had been approved.
The 1970s office block – which houses the force’s mortuary – could make way for a multi-million-pound civic quarter.
These plans for the integrated facility at Forsterhill will provide facilities for police use when Queen Street is vacated.
Other police staff would make the move to city and Aberdeenshire council bases at Marischal College and Woodhill House.
