Bath & North East Somerset Council have said that plans to revamp a number of toilet facilities across the area are progressing well.
Yesterday, the newly-refurbished toilets at Alice Park reopened. The improvement works were completed by the Council’s contractors, Healthmatic, as quickly as possible to minimise disruption.
The new toilets are much improved with private cubicles with washing and drying facilities as well as baby-changing facilities for parents and carers.
Improvements works have also been completed at Monmouth Street in Bath city centre; Odd Down Park & Ride, and on the facilities by the Sandpits play area and Two Tunnels cycle path in Oldfield Park, with the modernised facilities already receiving positive feedback from residents.
Improvements to the remaining 10 toilets will take place over the summer and autumn.
The Council’s contract with Healthmatic Ltd will provide cleaning and management services for 15 years, and means that 15 public toilets in parks, play areas, green spaces and key transport hubs will remain open.
In order to make the contract sustainable over the next 15 years, users will be charged 20p.
Benefits of the new toilets include:
- They are cleaner and safer because of the way they are designed and managed;
- More baby-changing facilities and cubicles large enough for a parent with a couple of small children and a pushchair to use together;
- High-tech controls allowing them to be open 24 hours / 7 days a week – or timers can be adjusted to suit local needs;
- Private cubicle with its own hand-washing and drying facilities;
- Fully disability compliant;
- Unisex cubicles will enable all parents and carers to supervise their children more closely whilst using the toilets at parks and play areas, and to use baby-changing facilities previously only available in female cubicles.
- Cubicles are more resistant to vandalism and misuse.
- Problems will be dealt with more quickly as they can be detected remotely by Healthmatic’s engineering and maintenance teams via a 24 hour service line.
Cllr David Dixon (Lib Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “As a Council it is essential we get balance right between offering high quality, well placed public conveniences and making sure we have an affordable proposition for local taxpayers for the long-term future of these facilities.
“We have already received a lot of positive feedback about the new facilities, particularly about how much cleaner and safer they are.
“These types of toilets operate very successfully in other parts of the country – there are over 110 councils all over the UK with Healthmatic toilets, from busy night-time city centres like Glasgow to tourist destinations like the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire and North Somerset, including parks, and seaside locations.”