A “cramped and dated” set of Victorian public toilets on Brighton seafront is due to get a facelift.
The Colonnade toilets on Madeira Drive suffer from regular leaks from the terrace above, meaning staff have had to set up makeshift hoppers, downpipes and even buckets to catch rainwater.
Brighton and Hove City Council, which owns the toilets, is planning to install a more robust system of aluminium rainwater hoppers and pipes – while rejigging the layout of the toilets themselves.
In a planning application to itself, the counci says: The site has a cramped and dated feel and suffers from substantial water ingress.
“The site is located at ground floor level on Madeira Drive and directly above is a pedestrian terrace, essentially acting as a podium deck, which is part of the public highway.
“The deck above is covered with concrete [paving slabs] and offers no waterproofing strategy to protect the public toilets, below, from water ingress due to the inability of the public walkway to provide an impermeable cover.
“Staff on site have had to set up makeshift internal arrangements to catch rainwater via hoppers and downpipes, and buckets frequently need to be left out in circulation spaces which causes trip hazards and limits mobility.
“The degree of water ingress therefore creates an unpleasant work environment for attendants and public users of the facility.”
It says as well as the aluminium hoppers, it is planning to make repairs to pointing around paving and asphalt on the terrace above the toilets – but a waterproof membrane would not be “consistent with conservation principles.”
Of the new plans, it says: “Generally, the proposed layout optimises the available space and
greatly increases the accessibility of the public facilities.
“Due to the position of the Blue Bade parking bays outside, this public toilet is one of the most heavily used facilities in the city by people with disabilities and these proposals will greatly enhance the provisions available, whilst modernising a dilapidated appearance.”
The number of standard cubicles in the women’s toilets will decrease from eight to seven, but a new family cubicle with a baby change and a child’s and adult’s toilet will be installed.
The disabled toilets in both the men’s and women’s toilets will be relocated and enlarged, and the unisex Changing Places toilet will be upgraded.
The urinals in the men’s will be relocated and changed from a bowl design to an upright slab one, more in keeping with the building’s period.
The number of sinks will be reduced to make space for the changes.
The ‘old fashioned’ W/Cs with the high level cisterns and the lever flush handles actually break down and block far less frequently than the push button toilets with no gravitational flushing power so they might want to think twice about their choice of public sanitaryware for these toilets. The Victorians put a lot more thought into design than we do today. Bizarrely the toilet bowls keep getting lower as the population gets taller too.
What about some nice tiles and piped music to discourage loitering?
Or a toilet attendant that doesn’t break eye contract with you throughout the encounter.
Oh I hope they do a good job. Will they be closed a long time for repairs and will there be temporary toilets outside? I do appreciate these public toilets, not enough of them for the amount of visitors we get.
“Facelift” – is an interesting bit of spin from the council rather than repairs to fix the leaking roof and damage caused by it – which is what this is.
The article says the toilets currently have “no waterproofing strategy” and talks about “water ingress” and staff having to set up “makeshift internal arrangement” like “buckets” to catch water and make the loos safe and free from hazards. That’s far from a face lift, it’s essential work because they don’t sound fit for purpose at the moment.
As long as we are not (penalised) towards this cost,as the toilet of.off north street cost a staggering quarter of a million pounds when the council refurbishment took place about three or four years ago?? Perhaps someone could actually tell me when that was
Brighton and Hove Council are making a real effort to improve the city’s public toilets- at least those that are left!
But it is sad to see how quickly they deteriorate. The men’s toilet on the seaward side of the King Alfred in Hove are disgusting- very dirty and smelly. How can they be maintained more effectively? I guess careful monitoring and cleaning are needed. It is unfortunate that a few members of the community are responsible for misusing the toilets such that elderly people and young families often have to put up with appalling conditions.