Public Conveniences
Lower High Street

Malvern Gazette 12th May 2006

Letters Double standard Residents asked that the toilets should remain open, but Malvern Hills District Council boarded them up anyway. So parts of our towns will look a mess throughout the tourist season. The council is giving £10,000 to the Elgar Festival. I am delighted the festival is going ahead but the council's justification for the grant is thought-provoking. The Gazette (April 28) quotes Lee Robson, head of community and economic development, as saying: "The Elgar Festival is important to Malvern. It clearly supports our two priorities, town centre enhancement and community health and wellbeing." The toilets are certainly "important to Malvern" (and Tenbury, and Upton). That's why people signed petitions and wrote to the Gazette. Toilets that are open, rather than boarded up, certainly contribute to "town centre enhancement and community health and wellbeing". Boarded-up toilets look awful and the lack of useable toilets threatens health and well-being. Concerts held inside the theatre, however enjoyable, do not enhance the town centre and to claim a concert supports "community health and wellbeing" is pushing things a bit far, since most residents won't actually attend a concert, whereas we all use toilets. If the council can afford to give £10,000 to the festival, it's obvious it could have afforded to keep our toilets open during the six-month review period. How does the council justify its double standards? Chris Dell, Aston Bank, Tenbury Wells. Best option I have been following the ever-increasing emotive comments in the press regarding Malvern Hills District Council's decision to close some public toilets. In reality the great majority of public conveniences were built decades ago and are ill-equipped to meet modern needs, both from the point of view of design and location. Sadly they act as a honey pot attracting vandals and drug users. The costs of maintenance and cleaning are horrendously expensive. Is it not a better option to have fewer, but strategically located and well-maintained toilets that the public are prepared and happy to use, rather than having to have rely on the nearest supermarket loo if one wishes to experience acceptable standards of maintenance and cleanliness? Geoff Knock, Northmead, Ledbury.