diff --git a/include/mapnik/renderer_common.hpp b/include/mapnik/renderer_common.hpp
index 71afadb12..caf85087c 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/renderer_common.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/renderer_common.hpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/box2d.hpp>     // for box2d
 #include <mapnik/view_transform.hpp>    // for view_transform
 #include <mapnik/attribute.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // fwd declarations to speed up compile
 namespace mapnik {
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ namespace mapnik {
 
 namespace mapnik {
 
-struct renderer_common
+struct renderer_common : private mapnik::noncopyable
 {
     renderer_common(Map const &m, attributes const& vars, unsigned offset_x, unsigned offset_y,
                        unsigned width, unsigned height, double scale_factor);
@@ -48,7 +49,6 @@ struct renderer_common
                        std::shared_ptr<label_collision_detector4> detector);
     renderer_common(request const &req, attributes const& vars, unsigned offset_x, unsigned offset_y,
                        unsigned width, unsigned height, double scale_factor);
-    renderer_common(renderer_common const& other);
 
     unsigned width_;
     unsigned height_;
diff --git a/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.hpp b/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.hpp
index ab7030245..4dee1b33d 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.hpp
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/util/conversions.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/label_collision_detector.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/noncopyable.hpp>
 
 // agg
 #include <agg_trans_affine.h>
@@ -48,6 +49,35 @@ class proj_transform;
 struct glyph_info;
 class text_symbolizer_helper;
 
+struct virtual_renderer_common : private mapnik::noncopyable
+{
+
+    virtual_renderer_common(renderer_common & common) :
+        width_(common.width_),
+        height_(common.height_),
+        scale_factor_(common.scale_factor_),
+        vars_(common.vars_),
+        shared_font_engine_(common.shared_font_engine_),
+        font_engine_(*shared_font_engine_),
+        font_manager_(common.font_manager_),
+        query_extent_(common.query_extent_),
+        t_(common.t_),
+        detector_(std::make_shared<label_collision_detector4>(common.detector_->extent())) {}
+
+    unsigned & width_;
+    unsigned & height_;
+    double & scale_factor_;
+    attributes & vars_;
+    // TODO: dirty hack for cairo renderer, figure out how to remove this
+    std::shared_ptr<freetype_engine> & shared_font_engine_;
+    freetype_engine & font_engine_;
+    face_manager<freetype_engine> & font_manager_;
+    box2d<double> & query_extent_;
+    view_transform & t_;
+    std::shared_ptr<label_collision_detector4> detector_;
+};
+
+
 // General:
 
 // The approach here is to run the normal symbolizers, but in
@@ -117,7 +147,7 @@ struct render_thunk_extractor : public util::static_visitor<>
                            feature_impl & feature,
                            attributes const& vars,
                            proj_transform const& prj_trans,
-                           renderer_common & common,
+                           virtual_renderer_common & common,
                            box2d<double> const& clipping_extent);
 
     void operator()(point_symbolizer const& sym) const;
@@ -140,7 +170,7 @@ private:
     feature_impl & feature_;
     attributes const& vars_;
     proj_transform const& prj_trans_;
-    renderer_common & common_;
+    virtual_renderer_common & common_;
     box2d<double> clipping_extent_;
 
     void update_box() const;
@@ -211,8 +241,7 @@ void render_group_symbolizer(group_symbolizer const& sym,
 
     // create a copied 'virtual' common renderer for processing sub feature symbolizers
     // create an empty detector for it, so we are sure we won't hit anything
-    renderer_common virtual_renderer(common);
-    virtual_renderer.detector_ = std::make_shared<label_collision_detector4>(common.detector_->extent());
+    virtual_renderer_common virtual_renderer(common);
 
     // keep track of which lists of render thunks correspond to
     // entries in the group_layout_manager.
diff --git a/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_point_symbolizer.hpp b/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_point_symbolizer.hpp
index a58a6a714..b9c728144 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_point_symbolizer.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/renderer_common/process_point_symbolizer.hpp
@@ -32,11 +32,11 @@
 
 namespace mapnik {
 
-template <typename F>
+template <typename F,typename RendererType>
 void render_point_symbolizer(point_symbolizer const &sym,
                              mapnik::feature_impl &feature,
                              proj_transform const &prj_trans,
-                             renderer_common &common,
+                             RendererType &common,
                              F render_marker)
 {
     std::string filename = get<std::string>(sym, keys::file, feature, common.vars_);
diff --git a/src/renderer_common.cpp b/src/renderer_common.cpp
index c2792f617..82d68e4c7 100644
--- a/src/renderer_common.cpp
+++ b/src/renderer_common.cpp
@@ -73,18 +73,4 @@ renderer_common::renderer_common(request const &req, attributes const& vars, uns
                                       req.width() + req.buffer_size() ,req.height() + req.buffer_size())))
 {}
 
-renderer_common::renderer_common(renderer_common const &other)
-   : width_(other.width_),
-     height_(other.height_),
-     scale_factor_(other.scale_factor_),
-     vars_(other.vars_),
-     shared_font_engine_(other.shared_font_engine_),
-     font_engine_(*shared_font_engine_),
-     font_manager_(font_engine_),
-     query_extent_(),
-     t_(other.t_),
-     detector_(other.detector_)
-{
-}
-
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.cpp b/src/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.cpp
index 8041507b7..3feaec330 100644
--- a/src/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.cpp
+++ b/src/renderer_common/process_group_symbolizer.cpp
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ render_thunk_extractor::render_thunk_extractor(box2d<double> & box,
                                                feature_impl & feature,
                                                attributes const& vars,
                                                proj_transform const& prj_trans,
-                                               renderer_common & common,
+                                               virtual_renderer_common & common,
                                                box2d<double> const& clipping_extent)
     : box_(box), thunks_(thunks), feature_(feature), vars_(vars), prj_trans_(prj_trans),
       common_(common), clipping_extent_(clipping_extent)