The latest Forward Plan – the document outlining decisions due to be made by the Isle of Wight council – reveals that the former Market Street public toilets in Ventnor may be up for sale.
Members of the Isle of Wight Executive will be asked to agree to the disposal in an attempt to filling the £28m+ budget gap the council faces over the next three years due to Government cuts.
Closed by the Conservative council
The toilets were closed a couple of years ago when the former Conservative council slashed the number public toilets on the Isle of Wight.
Many sites have been sold off and re-purposed into a variety of offerings, from holiday lets to cafes.
Lack of disabled access
The closure of the Market Street toilets raised great opposition in the town due to the only other public toilets in the town centre are those in Marlborough Road. Those toilets underwent a fantastic (and sympathetic) renovation a couple of years ago, but users have to tackle a steep incline to reach them. Not ideal for those in wheelchairs.
If Executive members agree to the disposal of the toilets, it’s likely to be put on the open market.
Community Toilet Scheme
It’s worth noting that in November, members will be asked to approve a ‘Community Toilet Scheme’ initiative.
The scheme “enables certain local businesses to work together with the Council to make more clean, safe and accessible toilets available to the public”.
