Village asks to take ownership of public toilet

The site has been a "haven for anti-social behaviour" in the past, said a councillor

A parish council in east Devon has plans to take ownership of a public toilet block in a bid to make improvements for the village.

Newton Poppleford Parish Council approached East Devon District Council, the current owner of the toilets at School Lane car park, with a community asset transfer proposal.

Councillors at an asset management forum said the transfer made sense, adding the car park could also be transferred to the parish council as it was free to use and did not generate income for the district, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillor Paul Hayward said the site was previously a "haven for anti-social behaviour".

'Very old site'

In addition to improvements, the parish council wants to change part of the building into a store for emergency flood defence equipment.

Hayward said: "It is a very old site and is not very secure.

"I know the parish has mooted not having the toilet, but public opinion in Newton Poppleford is that residents relish it being there, so the parish council has taken the position of trying to keep it in place."

Councillor Todd Olive said it seemed "eminently sensible" to transfer ownership of the toilet to the parish, adding east Devon should "get rid of the car park while we're at it".

Hayward acknowledged Newton Poppleford might not have the money to purchase the car park, but said it "may come down the line".

The forum voted in favour of progressing the parish council's request to take ownership of the toilets.