£300,000 bid to improve public toilets at two Northumberland tourist hotspots

At a meeting of Northumberland County Council’s cabinet on July 7, members are recommended to approve £184,000 for Holy Island and £131,000 for Seahouses.

The cash will fund a full refurbishment of both toilet blocks and will include the provision of a ‘changing places’ facility within each location.

The report to councillors explains:

‘There is a need to improve the standards of toilet provision across the county.

‘The toilet facilities on Holy Island and in Seahouses are considered to be of particular strategic importance for tourism in the north of the county. Currently these facilities offer only a very basic service and do not meet modern-day requirements.

‘It is considered that for the key tourism facilities that have the highest levels of footfall, there is a need to go beyond simple repairs and maintenance, and that these key facilities should undergo major refurbishment to significantly enhance the visual appearance, standards of cleanliness and user experience.’

In relation to the changing places facilities, the report explains that standard accessible toilets cannot meet the needs of everyone with a disability, some of who need extra equipment and space in order to be able to use a toilet safely and comfortably.

Changing places toilets do meet these needs by providing a height-adjustable, adult-size changing bench, a hoist system and sufficient space for two carers.

The refurbished facilities will also have hand sanitisers on the outside plus automatic taps, sanitary bins, hand dryers, soap dispensers, toilet flushes and lighting.

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