Stalham toilet closure to be reconsidered after uproar
Locals fear it would ‘flush away’ the success of the high street
A move to shut the only public toilet in Norfolk’s ‘neglected town’ is to be reviewed after locals feared it threatened to ‘flush away’ the success of the high street.
Half the population of Stalham has signed a petition calling on North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) to produce more evidence to show what impact shutting the only loo will have.
It comes amid growing anger in the Broads town, where inhabitants feel they are being forgotten by the council.
There is also a perception that Stalham receives less investment than its more prosperous neighbours like Cromer, Sheringham and North Walsham.
A petition of 1,500 signatures has been presented to NNDC, leading to a proposal to investigate the issue further.
At an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting this week, Matthew Taylor, a Stalham Conservative councillor, said: “We have one objective – to show the level of strong feeling about the closure.
“This would be a massive retrograde step which will damage the local economy.
“Stalham will be left as the only town in north Norfolk without a public toilet…we need to properly understand the potential damage this will have.”
Matthew Taylor, Stalham town councillor said: “We have thousands of people who come to Stalham in the summer for street fairs and events. They need access to a public toilet.”
The closure of Stalham’s public loo comes amid proposals to partially or fully shut about 40pc of public toilets in north Norfolk as part of efforts to plug a growing deficit, which is predicted to reach £9m in three years time.
Lucy Shires, cabinet member for finance at the Liberal-Democrat-controlled authority, said the authority is having conversations with the town council about taking over the running of the toilet.
After a lengthy discussion, it was decided to pursue a new report that will investigate further the amount of usage the toilet has, to see if this justifies its shutting.
Chairman of the committee, Nigel Dixon, said it needed to ask: “What is so different about Stalham compared to other towns that we should decide to shut this toilet?”