New lease of life for loos at the Lees

A block of toilets on Sheringham’s seafront has reopened after work by North Norfolk District Council to renovate and modernise them, including providing a new disabled-access toilet and baby-changing facilities.

The toilets, either side of the landmark archway at the Lees, have hot water for the first time and have seen new porcelain, new signage and some new lighting installed alongside repairs and redecoration. They have been improved as part of an ongoing programme of investment by North Norfolk District Council in public conveniences across the District.

This phase of the project has seen £64,000 spent on improving the toilets at Station Approach in Sheringham, Fakenham (Bridge Street and Queen’s Road), Blakeney and Walsingham, as well as the Lees (where £16,000 was spent).

In all, around £170,000 has so far been spent, including the complete remodelling and extension of the Promenade toilets at Mundesley (where £40,000 was spent), and a newly-built disabled-access facility at Bacton. Another £135,000 will be spent in the remaining phases of the programme, starting in September this year.

At Sheringham, a feasibility study is also under way, looking at how and where to establish a permanent toilet block on the East Prom.

Councillor Peter Moore, NNDC Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “We know how important good public toilets are for our residents. It’s not just because people need them when they are out and about in our towns and villages. Good-quality public toilets are a vital part of our ‘offer’ as a tourist destination. They are part of the infrastructure that supports our economy and our livelihoods.

“So this is investment that people have told us they want, and it’s also sensible if we are to capitalise on the ‘staycation’ seasons we are expecting as a result of people’s tighter holiday budgets over the next couple of years.”

Avril Duke-Millar from the Sheringham Enhancement Group Toilet Sub Committee said: “The Sheringham Enhancement Group is delighted that NNDC officers have worked together and now have a system in place that should maintain the good level of cleanliness that we all desire in our public toilets. We welcome the feasibility study for the East Promenade toilet block, and that NNDC realises that a block at the east of the Promenade is necessary. We thank all those involved in enhancing our wonderful town of Sheringham by keeping our toilets clean. Not many people realise how time-consuming it is to overseeing the cleanliness and maintaining of our toilets. It is a necessary cost and one that as Sheringham residents we really appreciate.”

• Vandals caused £3500 worth of damage in December and January at the re-opened toilets in Mundesley, mostly at the Promenade but also at the Beach Road toilets, where nearly £10,000 had been spent on refurbishment.
• The attached picture shows NNDC Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Peter Moore, with Sheringham District Councillors (L to R) Hilary Nelson, Penny Bevan Jones and Julia Moss, at the Lees toilet block.

ENDS