The public toilets in Rye’s Gun Gardens re-opened on Saturday July 27. The toilets, along with those on the Strand, were closed last November following cost cutting at Rother District Council. Both sets of toilets have now re-opened thanks to volunteers and funding from Rye Town Council.
It didn’t quite go as planned, with the Gun Garden toilets closed again on Sunday after a fault was found with one of the toilets. It was quickly rectified by Steve Lippross, one of the town steward team, and re-opened on Monday.
All the repairs were carried out by Cllr Andi Rivett and a team of volunteers. At the Gun Garden this involved decorating, some replastering, and fitting new toilet seats and pull handles. Richard Farhall at RTC arranged the cleaning, return of the iron entrance gates, legionella tests, and the replacement of three lights and two hand driers. Litter bins and sanitary bins will be added shortly. Town steward Nicky Ledger will carry out weekly safety and quality checks at both sets of toilets.
Re-opening the closed toilets comes at a cost though, both in volunteers time and council funding. RTC agreed to spend up to £11,000 from reserves to keep the Strand Quay toilets open until the end of October and up to around £8,000 on the now re-opened Gun Garden – again until the end of October.
The longer term solution for Rye’s public toilets is still far from being sorted. Lengthy discussions have been held between Rye and Rother councils over leases and transfers of funding, with no agreement in sight. Rye Chamber of Commerce has also been exploring how to repair and maintain the four public conveniences.
