East Devon land and three council owned buildings to be auctioned

Two public toilets are going up for sale

Three buildings and a parcel of land are set to be auctioned off by East Devon.

Two public toilets – one at Sidford Cross in Sidford and another at Seaton’s Marsh Road – and a former methodist chapel in New Street, Honiton, are being pencilled in to go under the hammer in February.

A small area of land at Woodbury Salterton will be auctioned too.

Tim Child, from the property services team at East Devon District Council, said that going to auction, rather than marketing the property for sale, should mean a quicker conclusion. “Auctioning is a speedy process,” he said.

“There is a bit more work upfront, but if we hit the February auction then we should secure the capital receipts from the sales by the end of March which would tie in with the end of our financial year.”

The sales come as the council is working on upgrading four public loos around the district.

Work is ongoing at Foxholes in Exmouth; East End, Lime Kiln in Budleigh Salterton; West Walk, Seaton; and Honiton’s Lace Walk.

But the council is disposing of so-called category B and C public toilets, which are less well-used or which the district council can no longer afford to operate.

Category B and C toilets include four in Exmouth, such as Orcombe Point and The Maer; three in Seaton, including Harbour Road; and Dolphn Street in Colyton.

Others are being transferred to town or parish councils to manage, while some are set to be sold to commercial tenants.

The public toilet block at Sidmouth’s Drill Hall, for instance, is being redeveloped as part of a planning application by Rockfish, a chain of Devon seafood restaurants.