… to object to the funeral parlour unloading body bags at the end of my street?

[CoralQuoter]

There’s a row of shops at right angles to our street, where the back entrances face onto a small cut through road and the back alley between rows of houses. One of these shops is a funeral parlour, which has recently expanded. They now park two massive hearses in the shared alley, and frequently ask us to move our car so they can fit the hearse through the narrow road if we park there (it’s a public street and the only way we can access the back of our house) They also load and unload body bags (with bodies in!) from the back of the private ambulance in the public street, and my DD4 asks what’s in the bags, which is… not a fun chat? My DS11 hates it and won’t walk round the back as its “too creepy”. Not only this, but they leave bags of rubbish out on the street which the seagulls get into and encourage rats. I’ve tried complaining to the council, but they say the only thing they can do is “register my complaint” with the bin collection service. AIBU to think a small terrace shop isn’t the place to run a funeral parlour from, especially if there’s no room to privately unload body bags?

Agreed.
If every deceased person was in their Dotage, it wouldn't be as bad.

India, for example has a completely different attitude to Death compared to UK, where it is hidden much more- but it's not in the British culture to see death..It is really our last ''Taboo''.

+1 same locally.

OP are the owners unsavoury types?

If every deceased person was in their Dotage, it wouldn't be as bad.

An elderly person who has died is just as deserving of the respectful treatment of their body, as anyone else.

This is a whole new level of Mumsnet ageism.

As usual there's the cool crowd who think it's all quite acceptable and we should all just be embracing the idea of death being out in the open. I'm much more open to this point of view, being an older person, but if I was a young child it would give me nightmares and yes it would be bloody creepy. I for one have never seen a body being removed from a house it's a rare occurrence.
I agree with other posters and wonder how on earth this company were given planning permission to expand beyond their logistical capabilities.

You could check guidelines for funeral homes. They may be members of an association such as NAFD who have a code of conduct. There may be planning guidelines they could be breaching. I agree it is unacceptable to be offloading bodies in the street.

I live on the same road as a large funeral parlour. I have seen hearses and private ambulances. I have never seen a body being unloaded/ loaded. That seems undignified and quite upsetting.

I also think the rubbish, and not having suitable sized vehicles (so very much relying on the good grace of neighbours to be available to move cars when they need) shows a lack of professionalism and planning.

What would happen if you refused to move your car/ were out when they next asked?

How does the bin lorry turn around if it's so tight.
I'd not move my car.

I live near a place that has lots of deliveries. For some reason 50% of the drivers couldn't seem to manoeuvre or want to around my car.

I used to always move the car. But now I don't. It can be 4x a day.
( there is no where to move it as all drop kerbs elsewhere ) so I would have to pull forward. Wait for them to move then reverse back it . I have young kids indoors it's just not feasible.

I was once out they rang doorbell , which came through to my phone, I said sorry I'm not home. He replied your car is here. I said I know I'm not though, he didn't believe me. But managed to move his lorry anyway

Surely there must be professional guidelines on the transportation and transfer of human remains? Can you Google a professional body (no pun intended)

What would they do if you weren't around to move your car, if you'd gone out, were on holiday or busy doing something else?

Presumably then they'd carry the deceased even further up the street/alleyway?

As OP suggests this isn't about being frightened of the dead but discretion, and frankly the whole expansion sounds very badly planned - and as a PP said, if they can't organise this decently what other corners are cut behind closed doors?

Probably the most effective answer is to make as big a thing as possibler of this locally. I don't imagine the bereaved will think much of the way their loved ones are being treated, and if their custom reduces you may find the problem solved

You'd think a business of a reasonable size, should have a wheelie bin for waste. Not leave bags out on the street. As you say, it's not been an issue until the expansion. Also, using a public road to carry the deceased to the premises frequently doesn't seem right, even if you see it or not. Business have to have public liability, etc, but it applies on their premises, not on a public road. I don't know if that matters. But it just all seems odd.

There’s the NAFD but you don’t have to belong to it and no Government regulations to adhere to.

As I posted previously this could be bad practice.

But I'm surprised that there are so many posters who didn't realise that not having a completely private area to unload bodies is normal for a lot of funeral homes especially inner city ones there are probably thousands of funeral homes who have to do this and the vast majority will be professional and respectful.

I think the industry really has got to speak to the general public more.

I think you have two separate issues here. The rubbish is something that definitely needs to be addressed and the council should be getting involved. In terms of the body bags, it sounds like they need to consider a different premises if they've expanded enough to warrant unloading on the street with their new vehicles. However, from their point of view, I do appreciate that they're providing an essential service. Perhaps if you and your neighbours voiced your concerns, they'd be more mindful of what they're doing and seeing how adjustments could be made. It wouldn't bother me personally, as I've grown up with funeral homes and funerals being part and parcel of life, but I can appreciate that for those that haven't been it can be very upsetting and hard to discuss with children.

Well death is a normal part of life. We live by a graveyard... always digging and dumping bodies going on there. You get used to it. Makes you appreciate your alive days.

Perhaps the funeral parlour needs to ask the council for double yellow lines to avoid this issue

Could you go in the funeral directors and speak to them about it? See if they have an alternative.

In which case OP won't be able to park. That's not exactly the result that's needed here

What happens when it's out of hours? If they are unloading a body during the night? How r they able to turn around then, as they carn't expect people to move their cars then.

Yanbu.

I think if you'd explained in your OP that this is relatively recent, you'd have had different responses.

Stop moving your car.

Dumping bodies? I hope not. I presume they are carried in coffins respectfully.

Don't be ridiculous. That is not what she said.

I really feel for you, OP, I think this is dreadful. I’m surprised the council have allowed it.

We used to live across from a funeral parlour and never saw anything like that OP, they had a private entrance at the side that the vans drove into and then shutters that came down.

I would ignore all the too cool for school ‘of course I wouldn’t mind seeing body bags being offloaded everyday’ and ‘it will teach your kid respect’ idiots because of course no one would want to see this as part of their day to day lives, and of course it is creepy for young children. It has nothing to do with respect (and of course young children, like everyone else do not owe respect to anything or anyone just because someone else says so - this is something that pisses me right off).

I would formally complain to whoever you can, have you tried local councillors etc? Sorry if you have I haven’t seen all the updates. What do your neighbours think about it all?

One in Nottingham expanded, but had to apply for planning consent for the additional fridges. Not all "funeral parlours" are actually morgues, so did they apply or have change of use? If so you should have been consulted.
Have they changed their operation so they are now trying to park their vehicles here when they used to put them elsewhere?
If you are not causing obstruction by parking where you have always done then you do not have to move, and they have a cheek asking you to. Tell them so. It is not your responsibility to move over to accommodate their ill-though-out expansion on the cheap. Complain in writing to THEM telling them just that, and they are interfering with your legitimate enjoyment of your property, and you resent their constant ringing your bell and they should desist.