Toilets on the seafront at Sandown are set to re-open this week after community calls to the local Town Council.
The public conveniences on Pier Street had been closed due to safety reasons and are part of plans for new loos, a shop and a restaurant.
At a Sandown Town Council (STC) meeting on Monday, clerk Richard Priest said the Town Council had negotiated with the Isle of Wight Council — which owns the building — to reopen them once safe to do so.
Over the last 2 weeks, work has been carried out to make them fit for purpose, along with a deep clean and electrical checks.
In 2021, STC also worked with the Isle of Wight Council to open the toilets for the holiday season.
They are splitting the cost – at least £4,000 – to cover cleaning them over the summer.
At the meeting, Sandown Mayor, Councillor Paddy Lightfoot described it as a ‘significant’ but unexpected investment for STC. He said ‘hopefully this time next year’ the new development would be complete.
The Isle of Wight Council’s toilet and site regeneration plans have stalled since they were approved in 2020 and work is yet to start.
The local authority is in the process of selling the site to a developer, who will then complete the project.
Thank goodness. My Mother in law suffers from the most violent IBS, yet loves Sandown beach.
This will be a blessing for us all, as the car needed an internal valet last visit.
comment of the year, keep it up (literally)!
Oh stop it!!!!! LOL
‘a ‘significant’ but unexpected investment for STC.’
Yeah unexpected because they expect nearly all their shitters to be closed, costing them nothing.
Well done Sandown locals.
well done for getting them sorted and £4k is a snip compared to the millions wasted on the floating sometimes bridge
Totally agree Stephen
And a lot or other wasted ventures the council throw the money at
I’m so pleased. I’m busting for a wee!
What a joke,so these toilets have been closed despite a full on beach and tourists destination – there must of been thousands on beach last week end and no toilets!. If you have a private function festival/show – council insist on 10 toilets per 1000 people,so if was 3000 on beach that’s 30 yet council can get away with none ?. Wonder how many just went to toilet in the sea.
Just a word of warning. If the public toilets on the Isle of Wight are anything like they are on the mainland, they’ll be cleaned once a day, and will be a gathering place for drug users. I spent a penny in a filthy cubicle on my way to the theatre this evening, and with the one next to it was being used for an addict for his fix. So, Sandown Town Council, make sure you don’t follow Winchester’s example, and keep your toilets clean.
IF these toilets are owned by the IoW Council, then surely THEY re responsible for their maintenance and upkeep?
why therefore are Sandown Town Council paying ANYTHING to ensure they are open.
it was bad enough that everyone in the country had to obey the Covid restrictions (whilst our – soon to be late – Prime Minister partied away to his hearts content)..
But, this REALLY has to be a real slap in the face for Sandown residents…
The IoW Council own the building, BUT somehow are able to get someone else to pay for their maintenance/upkeep!
You really could not make this up!!!
The mind boggles at why public toilets became such an issue. It is not rocket science nor is it a huge “drain on budget”. It is a simple case that a small maintenance team …probably no more than 2 year round and six seasonal could look after ALL the Island public toilets under the Isle of Wight Council. Oh sorry …….that would involve a half million pound feasibility study first ….what was I thinking !
I agree. I don’t know where the council get these companies from. £4000 + to clean these toilets. Seems rather a lot to me.
I think STC are getting their pants pulled down and their bottoms slapped!
Let’s hope the kids who think it’s fun to smash things up for a laugh, Stay out of these loos or they’ll be closed before we know it!!
If they do and caught give them 150 hrs community service unpaid work to clean them. Question all those every week we see given court of 200/150/100 hours of unpaid work – why not get them to clean toilets might help more as deterant than bit gardening!.