PUBLIC toilets are facing a fresh threat after it was revealed that a town’s 24-hour facility could be removed.
Epping Forest District Council, which is in charge of public conveniences, has suggested moving the automated facility in Bakers Lane car park in Epping to Buckhurst Hill, leaving just one ageing toilet block in the town.
It is also looking into a scheme where business owners would be paid to let non-customers use their toilets in return for advertising the service to passers-by.
But the town council, which has been consulted on the idea, said it would strongly object unless money was ploughed into updating the other toilet block.
Mayor Jon Whitehouse said: “When you think how busy Epping sometimes gets, it should have an accessible public toilet.
“The idea of traders opening up their shops or cafes for public use was intended to help provide public conveniences where there aren’t any.
“The Bakers Lane toilets, although they’re hygienic, they’re not particularly modern.
“They will need improvement at some stage and bearing that in mind, now is not a sensible time to remove the other one.”
He believes the district council's lease for the automatic toilet in Buckhurst Hill is coming to an end, prompting it to look into moving the Epping facility there.
Wanda Hopkinson, 43, assistant manager at the Black Lion pub in Epping High Street, said: “We’re not going to stop people using the loo, because they could be future customers.
“It’s not something we would advertise, but we’d not stop someone using it.
“There should always be something out there and the automated toilets are self-clean, which is ideal.”
Tracy Furlong, 47, a waitress at Epping Tea Rooms, also in the High Street, said: “I don’t think a lot of people know the toilet is there anyway, because there’s nothing to say it is.
“We get people going in to use the toilet now. Nine times out of ten we say yes.”
But Epping Society spokesman Charles Geddes said he was worried people would be put off visiting the town if it had no public toilets.
“If we become notorious for having no toilets, it would detract from the enjoyment of the town,” he added.
“We have worries about our town centre and a lot of people not being able to park and to take away the toilets is probably a bit negative.”
The district council threw out a request for thousands of pounds to be set aside for the first stages of turning the Bakers Lane toilet block into a restaurant last September.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel