Family-run business which has served a town for 150 years plan changes to ‘thrive for generations’

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 11:56

By Chris Gee

Silletts has be operating in Radcliffe as a funeral directors since 1875 and is based on Spring Lane.

Elijah Halliwell started the business and later his daughter married Josiah Sillett and in 1912 the name was changed as Josiah took over the business.

The business has been in the Sillett’s family ever since and today 150 years later, all of the directors still belong to the same family.

Planning documents published by Bury council this week, said: “To mark this incredible milestone the owners intend to undertake a comprehensive package of refurbishment works to the site.

“They wish to bring the site up to modern day standards so that it continues to serve the local community for future generations.”

A design and access statement said the existing buildings date back to the 1950s and 1970s with only minor cosmetic updates in more recent years.

he planning application seeks permission to add more chapels of rest to keep pace with an expanding population, add more toilets, create more storage
and build a dedicated workshop, acoustically seperated from the chapels.

Additional elements in the plans include to ‘create a new sense of arrival’, create more car parking and to generally ‘update the external look and feel from the 1970s aesthetic’.

A planning statement, said: “The scheme will bring the buildings up to modern standards through external and internal alterations, provide an attractive and
welcoming new reception building with direct access for visitors between the buildings and the newly landscaped reflection gardens and additional chapels.

“A new car parking area is also proposed to provide 11 laid out spaces for visitors to include disabled spaces.

“This will increase parking capacity off-street and also improve traffic management through the formal laying out of spaces and the separation of staff and visitor parking.”

The application concluded that if approved, the plans would ‘safeguard and consolidate a long-standing and successful business, which also serves an
essential and important community function’ and ‘protect employment opportunities for future generations’.

Planners at Bury council will consider the plans in the coming weeks.