Staff and volunteers at Rye Heritage Centre say they're worried plans to convert part of The Strand public toilets into a coffee shop will again lead to extra pressure on the team. They are also concerned slow progress on the plans could lead to the toilets being closed over winter.
Writing in this week's Rye News manager Simon Parsons says reducing the amount of public toilets will mean more queries from visitors. "We expect to be busy dealing with visitors discomfort and sometimes genuine distress, along with disgruntled and occasionally abusive visitors." The team say there will be a repeat of what happened when the toilets were shut by Rother District Council to save money two years ago before being re-opened by Rye Town Council.
At the end of last year RDC announced plans to market three public toilets in Rye to be partly converted into commercial businesses. The toilets on Rye Salts will become a cycle hub and the buildings on the Strand and in the Gun Gardens will also house coffee shops.
The businesses are expected to pay for any conversion costs, an annual rent, and a proportion of their turnover. They would also be expected to maintain some public toilets. RDC says having a business on site is preferable to leaving them unmanned at risk of anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
The lack of clarity is also a worry for the Rye Heritage Centre volunteers says Simon Parsons. "So many answers appear to be unconfirmed. We have asked for timings so that we can notify various group visit organisers about the public facilities that will be available nearby."
The Council has now confirmed slow progress with the lease, saying any work to convert the building is unlikely this year raising fears the toilets may be closed again this winter.
RDC also says that once the coffee shop is up and running there won't be any issues caused by the changes to the Strand toilets. Not so says Rye Heritage Centre. "That does not reflect our previous experiences and cannot be the result of any local consultation."
In Winchelsea, discussions continue on the two toilets owned and run by Rother District Council which were also marketed for retail. No bids were received for the town centre building on Monk's Walk and plans to convert the toilets at Winchelsea Beach into a sauna fell through.
