Public toilets across Great Yarmouth borough are set for a sprucing-up, with the council planning to refurbish all its seasonal facilities over the next year.
At a meeting last week (July 16), the council's environment committee approved £155,000 of funding to revamp the seasonal toilets at Hemsby, Second Avenue in Caister, Thurne, Scratby, Beach Road in Caister and Winterton, plus the year-round toilets at Euston Road in Great Yarmouth.
Urgent repairs to the disabled facilities at Hemsby will take place over the next few days.
In addition to approving the refurbishments, the committee discussed options for generating income to help fund the ongoing costs of public conveniences and agreed to progress the opportunity of offering space for suitable advertising within the facilities.
A report to the committee had stated either advertising or charging a fee would "support the continued operation of the facilities and ensure standards of refurbishment can be maintained."
Cllr Penny Carpenter, the committee's chairman, said: "While toilet provision is not a statutory service of councils, we recognise as one of East Anglia's top destinations that free access for residents and visitors to modern, well-maintained public toilets is part of a positive visitor experience, whether that be to our beaches or town centres.
"We have taken a phased approach to refurbishments, starting with modernisation of our most well used, year-round toilets, which has already made a big difference.
"I'm so pleased we're now able to move onto revamping the seasonal toilets, and I would like to thank the parish councils and businesses for their ongoing support in keeping the seasonal toilets running in recent years."
Over the last three years, the council has undertaken a revamp of its most used year-round toilets, with works completed so far at The Jetty and The Conge in Great Yarmouth, The Ravine, Feathers Plain and Pier Head in Gorleston, The Green in Martham and Caister High Street.
The programme has also included the installation at Pier Head of a toilet for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as people with physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.
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