Several public conveniences in Chichester District set to be refurbished

The decision was made at a meeting of Chichester District Council's Full Council on Tuesday 18 July 2023. The facilities that are due to be refurbished are: Priory Park, Chichester; East Beach, Selsey; Bosham Lane, Bosham; and, Market Road, Chichester. These sites were chosen based on a variety of information, including how often they are used and feedback from public and partners.

Work was also carried out to look at refurbishing the public conveniences in Tower Street, Chichester, but investigations found that there were severe structural and subsidence issues that would require extensive and costly work. It was decided to progress options for the Tower Street site, including for its demolition and the provision of a modern modular toilet and the reuse of the remainder of the site. A further report will be brought back to Cabinet.

"Having high quality, accessible public conveniences is extremely important especially for visitors to our district, people with health conditions and those who are pregnant, and we want to ensure that the facilities we provide are of the highest standards, which is why we are carrying out this much-needed work", explains Councillor Harsha Desai, the council's Cabinet Member for Growth and Place.

"All the sites will have new disabled facilities which meet modern legislation, while other work will include providing new flooring, tiling, and sanitary ware. Some of the sites will also be suitable for solar panels and we'll be installing LED lights which are much more efficient and better for the environment.

"Unfortunately, the significant amount of work that would be needed to resolve issues at the Tower Street site in Chichester were too costly, and as a council we have to consider the best use of limited budgets. This will be further considered as we evaluate options for this site in more detail. I know that some people may be disappointed about this, and I completely understand, but I would like to reassure residents and visitors that we do still have our public conveniences in Little London, which is right in the centre of Chichester and there are also facilities in our Novium Museum, as well as facilities in the Avenue de Chartres, Cattle Market and Northgate car parks, along with those provided in Priory Park.  There are also toilet facilities provided by surrounding business and visitor attractions.

"This work is the first part of a wider project to upgrade public conveniences across the district and we hope to start work later this year. Although councils don't have a legal duty to provide public conveniences, our council feels that having up-to-date, modern and accessible facilities is crucial to the district's success as a visitor destination and gives a positive impression to both residents and visitors."

Date of Release: 18 July 2023                                                    

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