_{shrewsbury town centre residents' association}

 

Response to Call for Evidence to Communities and Local Government Committee Inquiry on Provision of Public Toilets

 

 

A Summary

· Our members share the public interest of Shrewsbury, whose problems with public toilets have increased

· Council efforts working within their chosen limited resources have not solved the problem and have been too restricted in aim

· Our members' concerns are personal and social

· Toilets should be publicly provided, free at point of need, appropriately designed and staffed, with full opening hours and appropriately located.

· We assume this will require central government direction for statutory provision.

 

B: Who we are

 

1 .We were formed eighteen years ago to promote the interests of those who live within the river loop of Shrewsbury, a lovely historic County town, and to represent these interests both locally and nationally. We have around 280 members from 150 households. (There are 900 names on the published electoral roll). We have a mixed programme of social and informative activities and publish a regular newsletter. We work with others to promote the realisation of a balanced vision for Shrewsbury and, in particular, the town centre.

 

2. We are committed to the following objectives

· Promoting a balance between residential, business and visitor interests in Shrewsbury

· Maintaining the essential character of Shrewsbury

· Enhancing the quality of life in the town.

 

C Our Local Experience

 

1. We are proud of the town in which we live, though unsurprisingly it shares many of the difficulties described in "Improving Access to Better Quality Toilets". In 2004 consultants on the visitor economy judged that Shrewsbury's "public toilets were rated below all historic town and national benchmarks."(1) A similar report on retailing (2) declared new town centre conveniences "fundamental".

2. As the years pass shopping and tourist numbers have increased, new park and ride carparks have opened, and Shrewsbury has developed a night-time drinking economy bringing on occasion over thirty thousand young people into the centre and its immediate environs.

3, Despite several Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council(SABC) initiatives, the overall position has worsened. One new toilet block has been opened; several have been closed. In the face of anti-social behaviour "the most effective action has been closure" claims the SABC Cabinet Report of October 2006. There are now five toilet blocks in the town centre, one staffed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. but with no disabled access and an unfortunate reputation, two unstaffed open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., two in the park.

4. Town centre properties are regularly fouled, especially in the late evenings.

5. SABC policy is now to cater solely for the needs of the tourist, and even then inadequately.

6. As an Association we have argued that hours and locations of toilets should relate to the needs of users, and in particular that

· Closure of facilities at best displaces anti-social behaviour while penalising legitimate users. Innovative design solutions should be used. Roads are not closed because people have stolen the road signs or committed traffic offences.

· Toilets should be open late at night to lessen fouling of town-centre shops and properties, especially our members' front doors and cellar gratings.

· Proper budgetary provision should be made. The large capital receipts have been used to reduce council tax precept and for a range of "sexier" Council projects.

 

D Our Views on "Improving Access to Better Quality Toilets"

 

The solutions proposed were not unfairly characterised by a newspaper columnist as a"haphazard approach of more or less privatised parts."(3)

Facilities in shops and cafes deny access out of hours and to some users, e.g those thought inappropriately dressed or with special needs, and may not in fact be appropriately situated for general use. It is unclear why shops should provide what has proved impossible for public authorities. It is notable that SABC denies general access to facilities in its two public buildings despite obvious local need.

The use of Planning Agreements is impossible to police and in any case time-limited One well-used and conveniently placed toilet in a large shopping mall has been peremptorily closed even though it was part of the original planning permission.

Past apparently beneficial legislation has had unintended consequences. We see our requirements as those of

· Users of local facilities, with our children, grandchildren, disabled relatives

· Visitors to other unfamiliar places, arriving by various means of transport

· People with an active interest in the town's economy, welcoming tourists and shoppers

· Sufferers from soiling of our houses and the streets, especially at night

 

All this and our experience of the present unsatisfactory circumstances lead us to believe that

· Public toilets should be free at the point of need. The "income stream" represented by a 20p charge is in fact merely token when seen against costs, and does not balance the inconvenience of the charge. Any apparent public acceptance of the charge is only because it is seen as giving a kind of contractual obligation. If it was commercially meaningful private enterprise would be seeking to build and run toilets.

· The number, type, and location of toilets should be appropriate to likely reasonable need and seen as a network so that where it is not cost-effective to provide a specialist facility the nearest one is properly signed within walking distance

· Opening hours should correspond to likely need where situated - car park entry and exit times, pub and club departures

· Innovative schemes of staffing should be implemented, including multi-roles, and facilities designed to discourage vandalism and anti-social uses. A neighbouring local authority reduced its vandalism costs to nil.

 

Others will be better placed than us to determine the appropriate means, but we assume that such outcomes will only come about as a result of central government direction.

References

1."A Visitor Economy and Action Plan for Shrewsbury and Atcham" T.E.A.M. of Cheltenham June 2004 for SABC and Advantage West Midlands

 

2."Shrewsbury Town Centre Strategy" White Young Green Planning Nov 2005

 

3. "Britain's Busted Flush" S.Busch SocietyGuardian 23 April 2008