Councillor: Bognor's seafront toilets are a 'disgrace'

Arun District Councillor Jeanette Warr (Lib Dem) called the promenade loos, which have long been a source of local controversy, a ‘disgrace’.

“I’m disappointed, disillusioned and disgusted by them,” she said.

"The thing is, the disabled toilets are regularly out of use, the urinals are locked up. And, when you open the doors to some of them, the stink is horrible.”

The toilet blocks have a chequered history in Bognor Regis. First built in 2018, they were open for just four months before they were closed in early 2019 after several defects were discovered.

They stayed that way for more than a year while Arun District Council resolved a dispute with contractors, and were not repaired until October 2020. Even so, residents and councillors continue to have issues with the facilities. In February this year, one resident of the nearby Esplanade Grande - a block of luxury flats overlooking the seafront – complained that the toilet block reduced the resale value of his flat by £50,000.

Now, Cllr Warr says the toilets need to be removed and replaced.

"The actual unit is rusting. If you go around to the roadside end of the block, you can see all the rivets are rusted and it’s dropped down the paintwork. I think these particular toilets need to be knocked down, basically and we can put the underground ladies toilets to good use.”

Arun District Council, which has been approached for comment, has previously explained that the underground toilets are prone to flooding – but Councillor Warr is doubtful.

“We’ve been down there and measured it. There’s a slight entry of some water in the very far toilet, but it’s not coming from the sea. It’s not coming in from that side. It comes in from the pathway, and if you go up the road, you can see all these broken slabs and I think that’s where the water is coming in."

With the disabled toilets in particular out of use for most of the summer season, Cllr Warr is calling for change. “We’ve had enough,” she said.

Independent councillor Steve Goodheart has also spoken out about the toilets, submitting an alternative idea for their rejuvenation.

Inspired by a mural of a seahorse further down the promenade, he’s suggested a similar project could well be commissioned for the toilet block, and the road-facing signage could be moved, making the toilets less of an ‘eyesore’.

He said: "Residents are desperate to have the whole block of toilets on the beach removed,” he said."But what’s been done with the mural further down the promenade could easily be done on the toilets. Not only would it satisfy the residents, we would still have a functioning toilet.”

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