West Midlands accessibility toilets to be built with £790k

Changing Places Toilets are fitted with specialist equipment for severely disabled people

Nine toilets for severely disabled people will be built across the West Midlands with government funding of more than £790,000.

Six regional councils were awarded money by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to install Changing Places Toilets (CPTs).

The facilities, primed for accessibility, are fitted with specialist equipment.

Herefordshire Council was awarded the largest sum - £287,000 for three loos.

They would be installed in Hereford at the Courtyard Theatre, Aspire Living's community hub and Maylord Orchards shopping precinct, the authority said.

Disability groups were involved in drawing up the bid and the council said it wanted to hear from other places looking at developing similar facilities.

All three should be operational by April 2024 and Robyn Barratt, from the theatre, said the provision would help visitors.

"We're thrilled to receive this funding, which will make the world of difference to our customers," she said.

Two more toilets will be built with the funds in Coventry at Coombe Abbey Park and War Memorial Park. The city council said it would follow three others funded through a previous round of grants.

"A few more additional toilet facilities may seem like a small change, but it can make all the difference in terms of having an enriching impact on the life of a disabled person," councillor Christine Thomas said.

A new Changing Places Toilet being built in Lichfield should be open by the end of March, the district council said

Other authorities to be allocated funding include Dudley Borough Council, Malvern Hills District Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

Lichfield District Council said its new toilet on the corner of Swan Road and Bird Street should be in use by the end of March.

The authority was awarded £94,285 to build two in the first round of funding in 2022.

CPTs have been mandatory in new buildings since 2020 and a year later, funding was offered to add them to existing sites.

They are fitted with equipment including a hoist and changing bench and have enough space for carers to support a disabled person in using the facilities.

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