A COUNCILLOR has suggested that work should be done to tidy-up the eyesore Longforth Road toilet block in Wellington before works are carried out to bring the facilities back to life.

The toilet block was already much-maligned by the public before things took an unexpected turn when a car crashed into the building just before Christmas and caused extensive damage resulting in structural issues.

The partially demolished building has now been fenced off and awaiting the start of work to refurbish the site.

But Cllr Marcus Barr, speaking at Wellington Town Council’s policy and resources committee meeting on February 20, said that efforts needed to be made to tidy-up the area.

“We have got a lot of events coming up over the next few months or so – can’t we make that area a bit tidier?” he asked.

“We will be having people visiting the town and for anyone new to Wellington it doesn’t give a very good first impression.”

Town clerk Dave Farrow said: “I will see what we can do and get it tidied up and perhaps screen them off.”

Councillors have recommended to commission a project manager to oversee the project to rebuild the toilet block and liaise with insurers, specialist contractors and other professionals as necessary to create a proposal for the council to consider.

A proposal to form a sub-committee to work with officers to develop proposals was not supported by the committee.

Cllr John Thorne said: “We are in danger of over-thinking this – we agreed back in November to get a contractor to look at this.

“We don’t need a sub-committee to do it and I don’t know why we need to take two steps back on something that we’ve already agreed.” 

Cllr Mike McGuffie said that he did not think they should “waste money” on repairing the Longforth Road toilet block.

“We should just go-ahead and replace it rather than waste money on repairing it,” he said.

This matter will be discussed again at Wellington’s full council meeting on March 6.