The only set of public toilets at newly revamped Black Rock are closed for repairs with no indication of when work will start.
Local businesses are reportedly bearing the brunt of the inconvenience, having to deal with people insisting on using their private toilets instead.
Southern Water owns the dilapidated Black Rock Station building, which houses the toilets, which is also used by Volks Railway. After months of public pressure to repair it, it now says it plans to start this – but declined to say when work would begin.
Meanwhile, Brighton Lib Dems is calling on the council to provide temporary toilets there – but when asked, the council did not say whether it would consider the plans. A petition has now been started.
Robert Brown, who stood for Lib Dems in Kemptown ward in the past two council elections in the ward, said: “You can go from Asda to the children’s playground without being able to go to the toilet.
“I’ve often seen families with their kids simply using whatever space they can find, hidden away from the main paths – and not just families with kids.
“With all the millions of pounds being poured into Hove, and the increase in usage along the seafront in Kemp Town, one would have thought that placing temporary toilets would have been a priority – especially as there is currently a load of wasteland now there doing nothing and being of no use to anyone just now.
“It is not sufficient for The Reading Room to be forced to pick up the slack of the council, nor the Temple Room when it opens.”
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “We’re pleased to hear Southern Water’s proposals to repair the Black Rock pumping station includes the Volk’s Railway ticket office and the public toilets.
“We’ll need to work with Southern Water to look at how best to achieve this.”
A Southern Water spokesman said: “Due to refurbishment of the ticket office and toilets, these facilities are no longer available. We apologise for the inconvenience.
“The local authority is aware of these works, and has other facilities along Madeira Drive, at Peter Pan/Yellow Wave, and just before The Sealife Centre.”
The nearest public toilets to Black Rock Station are half a mile away west at Peter Pan’s Playground or half a mile east at Mermaid Walk in the marina.
Meanwhile, the new toilets at the Maclaren Pavilion at The Level are still unopened because a tenant has yet to be found to take on the cafe in the same building and run them on behalf of the council.
Councillor Rowkins said: “The window for applications to take on the lease has now closed and we are reviewing the bids that have been submitted.
“We will share information in due course, once due diligence and other council processes have been completed, but we hope to be able to provide a positive update to residents soon.”
Good to see that at least one political party (Lib Dems) are on the case. Shame it’s not the ones that were elected councillors to run our services. The Victorians and Edwardians recognised the importance that public conveniences had for the health of the citizens, but it seems that modern councils think that no longer matters. Just to remind them, it’s amenities like that for which we pay our council tax.
But they are coming, just not immediately?
Maybe you misread the article in your desire to point the finger at councillors. The out of use toilets are owned by Southern Water and are due for refurbishment. Any temporary toilets would come at a cost and as the current toilets could be refurbished at any point, it could be argued that a council fixing a black hole left by the years of underfunding from the Tories and a degree of mismanagement by the last green administration, might deem this not prudent.
The Lib Dems have no experience of running a council and can ask for these things knowing they will never have to deliver them. There previous collaboration in government with the Tories should tell you all you need to about this political posturing.
Local businesses throughout the city allow people to use their toilets and are not far away. They may well benefit from those coming to spend a Penny ending up spending a few quid.
“The Lib Dems have no experience of running a council”
They have run numerous councils across the country for many years.
Including, with majorities, Lewes from 1991 – 2011 and Eastbourne continuously since 2007 and for other periods before that.
The LibDems worked to restrain the worst impulses of the Tories – and for the most part they succeeded. Things went completely south shortly after they were ousted from the coalition in 2015.
I remember the speech. “Bringing a heart to a Tory government.” – I thought that was very elegant.
this was built in the 50s
This has nothing to do with politics.
Southern Water simply need to be told to reinstate useable public toilets at their dilapidated building, which they are responsible for.
It’s also the terminus for the Volks railway.
They are but as of yet they have not produced a detailed work schedule
Yes, Southern Water have a responsibility to the building etc yet BHCC are directing more and more people towards Black Rock – including coaches where passengers disembark and immediately go to the Reading Room to use their facilities and don’t purchase any items – this has resulted in confrontations with staff as they have queues to get into the building to order food and people wanting to only use the toilets trying to barge through.
BHCC has a duty to at least provide the most basic of human necessity – toilets. Something raised time and again across the city.
It’s not difficult to do.
I take your point, but I also work in that area and see what happens.
The coaches parking at Black Rock actually unload their passengers elsewhere, usually at the western end of Madeira Drive.
Coach trip organisers should also know where the toilet facilities are, and there are several at the western end of Madeira drive, under the colonnade, or else on the Palace Pier.
Further east, the public toilets at the Concord 2 section are at Rumble Jungle in the children’s playground next to Yellowave. Several business along there also have loos the public can use, including at Sealanes. These loos are not actually half a mile from Black Rock.
There ARE then public toilets at Black Rock, as part of the Volks Railway terminal, but Southern Water are failing to maintain that building – and which is their responsibility – and that’s where the gap in loo facilities arises.
In this situation it’s a bit odd to suggest the council suddenly build brand new alternative facilities.
It makes for a good political campaign. Anyway, Southern Water just got hammered by that new legislation, unless there is some compulsion, I don’t see SW doing anything extra right now.
Open the bogs,stops people from pissing in bushes and on the beach, am local drunk, more toilets please.