New loos for Budleigh Salterton

They'll replace existing one

Budleigh Salterton is getting new-and-improved public loos on the seafront near Lime Kiln car park. 

The current toilet block will be demolished, and when the replacement opens, users will have to pay 40p to spend a penny with a contactless payment card or phone. 

Refurbished in 2011, the current building is believed to date from the 1930s and features one disabled toilet and four unisex loos opening onto the coast path, as well as an external shower for beachgoers. 

The new block will have fibre-cement timber-look cladding, painted metal doors in beach-hut colours and a flat roof with solar panels. It will have one disabled loo and four unisex toilets as before, but also a ‘Changing Places’ facility for people with severe disabilities, two outside showers, a bike rack, a water bottle refill point and seating. 

When asked whether it could withstand pebbles dashing it during storms, councillors were assured it would be “robust”

But Cllr Brian Bailey (Conservative, Exmouth Littleham) was not happy with the design, describing the new block as “hideous”. He said: “It’s completely out of keeping with buildings on the seafront.  

“If you put a flat roof with solar panels on, some little darlings of Budleigh will be… having great fun leaping off the cliff onto the roof. It’ll be their latest sport. I think it’s absolutely unacceptable.” 

By contrast, Cllr Anne Hall (Lib Dem, Exmouth Littleham) argued the flat roof was in keeping with nearby flat-roofed apartments. 

The new Budleigh loos come as part of a wider East Devon District Council (EDDC) scheme to refurbish or rebuild 15 ‘category A’ public conveniences across the district at an estimated cost of £5 million. 

Another 12 category B and C loos EDDC cannot afford to run have been offered for commercial operators to change them into cafes, takeaways or community hubs – although the public must still be able to go to the loo there – and also to town and parish councils to run in place of EDDC. 

East Devon’s public toilets are ranked as follows:    

Category A    

West Street car park, Axminster    
Cliff Path (West End/Steamer), Budleigh Salterton    
East End (Lime Kiln), Budleigh Salterton    
Jubilee Gardens, Beer    
Foxholes car park, Exmouth    
Magnolia Centre (London Inn), Exmouth     
Manor Gardens, Exmouth    
Phear Park, Exmouth    
Queens Drive, Exmouth    
Lace Walk, Honiton    
West Walk, Seaton    
Connaught Gardens, Sidmouth    
Triangle, Sidmouth    
Market Place, Sidmouth    
Ham car park (new site), Sidmouth

   
Categories B and C    

Orcombe Point, Exmouth    
The Maer, Exmouth    
Imperial Road, Exmouth    
Jarvis Close, Exmouth    
Seaton Hole, Seaton    
Harbour Road, Seaton    
Marsh Road, Seaton    
Brook Road, Budleigh Salterton    
Station Road, Budleigh Salterton    
Dolphin Street, Colyton    
King Street, Honiton    
Port Royal, Sidmouth