The eco toilets in the King George V Park are due to be converted to plumbed-in toilets after the town council unanimously voted to make the change, following concerns that the current facilities are inadequate for the increasing number of park users.
The two eco toilets initially cost Melksham Town Council £33,295 and were installed last year following a year-long wait and several delays in their arrival.
They were initially praised as environmentally friendly, using a low-power electric flush and a waste disposal system that did not require water or electricity. However, issues related to capacity, hygiene and odour have led the council to reconsider their effectiveness.
Despite the initial expenditure of over £30,000, councillors voted to make a u-turn and, at this month’s full council meeting, authorised the town clerk to spend up to £15,000 to retrofit the toilets with traditional plumbing, including running water, preferably hot. The decision follows mounting complaints from both councillors and residents about the toilets’ performance and hygiene.
Cllr Adrienne Westbrook, who introduced the motion at the recent asset management and amenities meeting, emphasised the urgency of the situation saying she did not think the toilets can cope with the volume of people using them and that converting the facilities to plumbed-in toilets was something that needed to be looked at ‘very urgently.’
Locum clerk at the town council, Tracy Predeth said, “We have found that the toilets are struggling to cope with the increase of people now using the park since the introduction of the slash pad and the cafe. Residents are regularly asking for these to be improved to include running water and baby changing facilities.”
When the eco toilets were ordered in 2022 from Calne-based company Healthmatic, they were described as cutting-edge, using new technology that required no electricity or water and using worms to break down waste, making them environmentally friendly.
However, councillors said what was delivered was a system using a conveyor belt and a low-power electric flush, with waste collected by a Healthmatic employee. To save water, a hand sanitiser dispenser is attached to the wall for users.
Some councillors have questioned how sustainable the facilities really were. Cllr Jon Hubbard said at the asset management and amenities meeting that he felt Melksham Town Council was ‘led up the garden path’ as to what to expect with the toilets’ technology. He urged the town council to do whatever it could ‘as soon as possible’ to convert them back to normal toilets that people could wash their hands in.
Mayor Cllr Tom Price also called for the installation of baby changing units, labelling the lack of such facilities as ‘utterly horrendous.’
Cllr Jack Oatley, suggested exploring alternative solutions, such as building a new toilet block, but the council agreed that immediate action was necessary. Cllr Adrienne Westbrook argued that pursuing a new build would require planning permission and additional time, leaving the current inadequate toilets in place.
Cllr Hubbard further stressed that converting the existing toilets is the most cost-effective and timely solution, noting that the necessary infrastructure is already in place. The £15,000 required for the conversion will be drawn from major project reserves, pending full council approval.
The town council’s clerk has been asked to ascertain whether any compensation could be refunded to Melksham Town Council after cllr Price said, “We spent a lot of money on those toilets, which did not deliver what we were told.”
The town council’s clerk has also been asked to find out whether planning permission is required to convert the toilets back and the communications officer has been asked to create a sign for the toilets directing people to other facilities in the park.