Council drops public toilet sleeping pod plan

Herefordshire Council had been planning to convert a disused public toilet on Union Street, Hereford

A plan to turn a disused public toilet in Hereford into a sleeping pod for homeless people has been dropped.

Herefordshire Council had proposed turning the site on Union Street into single occupancy accommodation.

The plan had been greeted with some astonishment by the city council, Hereford Civic Society (HCS), and St Peters Church next door, which is active in homelessness support.

However, a second plan by the council to convert more public toilets in East Street, Hereford, into homeless accommodation remains under active consideration.

Herefordshire Council environmental health officer Sheneka Royal said the pods would have to meet the council’s legal obligations on heating, ventilation and fire safety, as well as its minimum size for a bedroom of 6.5 square metres (69.9 sq ft).

But its housing development officer Tina Wood said the pods “will provide improved quality of life, will be well insulated and sound proofed, [and] will assist in the prevention of rough sleeping and homelessness”.

John Haider Building has been proposed as an alternative option for homeless housing in Hereford

The ongoing plan to turn toilets on East Street into accommodation has been met with opposition from HCS.

Peter Taylor said the society could not see how it could be called "appropriate housing" as per the council’s homelessness policy, "nor how support services could be enabled for any occupant."

He added that a previously suggested scheme for the council to buy the now derelict John Haider Building could instead "form a base for the provision of such welfare and mental health help."

It would also "overcome the need to continue with the unsuitable temporary accommodation for homeless people" in the Symonds Street car park opposite, he said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.