The public toilets in Westbury are expected to reopen this month following major refurbishment, with a new 20p charge for access.
Westbury Town Council are hoping to reopen the facilities at the High Street car park on 21st May, followed by those at Warminster Road car park on 25th May.
Once open, a 20p charge will apply, payable by card only, with arrangements in place for disabled users.
Speaking at the recent Annual Town Meeting, chair of the Management of Services committee Councillor Mike Sutton said the council had taken on board concerns from traders and was acting to support footfall and trade.
“We are very mindful of what traders in the town say, that without public toilets or free car parking, trade will suffer,” he said.
“I think all of us want the town to prosper and have as much footfall as possible.”
He said the refurbishment was necessary due to the condition and rising maintenance costs of the previous facilities.
“They were so old that the parts were unavailable and we were spending more and more money just trying to keep the old ones running,” he said.
“It’s cost us £225,000. It’s a quarter of a million basically but if the town doesn’t have toilets, then the traders will feel that we’re not doing what we can for the town.”
Westbury Town Council will lease the toilets from Wiltshire Council for 125 years, with maintenance costs estimated at around £22,500 a year.
“We are going to charge 20 pence entry; we have to be prudent with our funds and try to get it back,” Cllr Sutton added.
Pictured: The High Street toilets
