Should Honiton's King Street toilets remain open?

Honiton residents are being asked for their views on an overhaul of East Devon's public toilets, which includes plans for the district council to stop maintaining those in the King Street car park.

Under the proposals, the Lace Walk toilets will be refurbished to the highest standards, as part of the council's £3million programme to upgrade the 'Category A' public conveniences it sees as the most important to the community and/or visitor economy. The Lace Walk block is included in this category.

But the King Street car park toilets have been graded as Category C – which means the council can no longer afford to run them, and will offer to transfer their operation to town councils or community groups. East Devon District Council says the King Street toilets cost £11,534.96 a year to run.

The council is also looking into the idea of introducing charges for using some of its public toilets, to help pay for the running costs of those that are particularly important for residents and tourists.

Future public toilet provision across East Devon

Across the district, there are 14 Category A facilities which will all be upgraded. Eight are in Category B, meaning the council is looking at leasing or selling the building. None in Honiton fall into this category. These could be turned into a different kind of facility, such as a café or community meeting place, that could still include public toilets. Town councils and community groups would be able to bid for these sites.

Six toilet sites, including Honiton King Street, are in category C and available for being taken over by town councils or community groups.

How can I have my say?

The public consultation runs until 5pm on Friday, October 1 this year and takes the form of a questionnaire which can be accessed here.

Anyone who needs a copy of the consultation on paper or in any other format can contact East Devon District Council by emailing [email protected] or calling 01395 517569.

Full details of the consultation and the proposals for all the council-run toilet blocks in East Devon can be found here.