MELKSHAM Town Council has vowed to open Bath Road toilets “at the earliest opportunity” after nearly three years of “roadblocks”.
At last week’s town council meeting, councillors agreed to give the town clerk, Linda Roberts, the authority to undertake the necessary works to reopen the toilets, with a maximum budget of £45,000.
However, councillors say that the cost of reopening the toilets will be “likely” to come in under the proposed maximum budget – it is currently estimated that it could cost £20,000.
And mayor cllr Jon Hubbard has said that he is hopeful the public toilets – which were closed by Wiltshire Council in 2016 – could be open for this summer.
The town council originally announced its intention to reopen the public toilets on Bath Road in November 2018.
However, the plans have hit a number of “roadblocks” – including one in late 2019, when the plans were almost dropped altogether when the council was told it would cost in the region of £100,000 to refurbish the toilet block.
Cllr Hubbard has also said that councillors’ attempts to “micro-manage” the project has also caused some delays.
The town council is currently waiting for Wiltshire Council to check the safety of the toilet block’s electrics.
Once Wiltshire Council deems the toilet block as safe, town council contractors will run tests on the “workability of the unit”, providing a set of options for reopening.
It was previously reported by the town council that whilst the visible condition of the toilet block is “poor”, three of the four cubicles appear to be in “solid shape” and could be reopened at a lower cost than the previous estimate of £100,000.
