A legal anomaly means ownership of St Helens toilets has still not been transferred to the parish council, six years after the process started.
In 2011, responsibility for the toilets was transferred to St Helens Parish Council, which has maintained them under a tenancy.
However, a legal transfer could not take place because the toilet block was incorrectly listed on the common land register.
Lengthy process
When the initial application was made to register the common land in the late sixties, the toilet should not have been included as it was an existing structure, and not just land.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said:
“The anomaly that has existed since 2011 needs to be addressed and, following research by legal services, the amending of the common land register appears to provide a mechanism that would allow the completion of the conveyance, albeit a lengthy one.”
The council will need to make a formal decision before the transfer can go ahead.
Matter never concluded
Both councils worked at the time to complete the full conveyance, however, as the toilets were included in the common land register, this was never concluded and the matter was left as it is.
The toilet will need to be removed from the register before the transfer can take place. A consultation on the matter is available to view on the council’s Website.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some additions by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Dafne Cholet under CC BY 2.0
