New accessible toilets have opened in a North Norfolk town.
The North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) public toilets in the Stearman’s Yard Car Park in Wells are now open.
The facilities, built by Aspect, are complete with male and female toilets, two gender-neutral toilets with 24-hour access, Changing Places facilities, disabled access toilets and a baby changing area.
The public toilets at Stearman’s Yard were part of a nine-month programme to replace the outdated loos with new facilities that served a wider range of public requirements.
Plans for the new loos were approved back in 2020 - with the demolition taking place in March 2022.
The demolition marked the first step in a £568,000 investment by NNDC to bring new toilets to the district.
Both water and energy efficient, the council says the new toilets are more economic than previous blocks and utilise the plot space, maximising the service provision.
Tim Adams, leader of the council, said: “Continuing to invest in our public facilities is essential for North Norfolk and providing services with advanced accessibility features means more residents and visitors can be supported when they visit our towns.
"We’re pleased to see the toilets in Stearman’s Yard open and look forward to completing more facilities across the district.”
In addition to Wells, work is underway in Queen’s Road, Fakenham and Vicarage Street, North Walsham, to provide better energy and water-efficient toilets to the towns.
The council says in increasing the level of provision to North Norfolk towns, more residents and visitors can use the facilities without worrying about finding toilets appropriate to their requirements or needs.
Public toilets are not mandatory for local authorities, but NNDC regards them as an essential public provision, especially with on-site features such as advanced equipment in accessible toilets and gender-neutral options.
The development comes after NNDC set out its strategy for public conveniences, identifying where there is a pressing need for new loos. Both Fakenham and Wells had adequate numbers of toilets available, according to the figures.
Materials from the demolitions will be recycled and reused in car park repairs.
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