With the summer holidays about to begin, the public toilets at Winchelsea Beach remain closed. Last month a single portable toilet was installed next to the building in the car park at Dogs Hill Road.
The toilet block was closed by Rother District Council (RDC) which had hoped to lease out the building commercially under controversial plans announced last year. An operator keen to convert part of the building into a sauna has since pulled out of discussions.
Icklesham Parish Council (IPC) hopes to take over the ownership of the building, in spite of its poor repair. Lengthy discussions have been taking place with RDC, without success.
“We are still waiting for the freehold transfer,” said Jacqui Stanford, the chair of Icklesham Parish Council (IPC). “The summer is half gone and we’re nowhere near getting this sorted. It’s really frustrating as we want to get in and sort it out now.”
“The toilets are vital to both visitors to the beach and the playing fields,” she said. “I have no idea why Rother is dragging its feet over this.”
IPC has been exploring funding options to replace the toilets at Winchelsea Beach and in the centre of the town.
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