TEMPORARY toilets should be installed in Tavistock's Guildhall Square car park by the end of the month, West Devon Borough Council officers this week confirmed. The borough was forced to close the existing crumbling toilets in October for safety reasons. Nick Payne, the council's environment chief, said: 'We are looking towards providing the temporary toilets by the end of November — I think it comes down to a question of when the units can be delivered, subject to availability, but we certainly hope they will be in by the end of the month.' Replacement of the toilets have been subject to several changes of plan in recent months. At one point they were due to be included in a multi-million pound scheme to build a new visitor centre in the area. But a funding bid for the centre failed and during a packed public meeting in the town this autumn, most residents who attended expressed a desire to see the current toilet block refurbished, rather than replaced with a brand new building. Currently, the borough council has £100,000 budgeted for the Guildhall toilets and a further £50,000 has been promised by the town council. But Mr Payne said this figure was settled two years ago — and cost pressures had increased since then. He said: 'My concern is we have had very significant construction industry inflation since then and to restore the original value of that £150,000 it's probably got to be lifted by another £35,000.' Mr Payne said the increase would be considered by the borough shortly and he understood the town council would consider raising the amount it had put by for the toilet scheme. He said it was too early to say when the refurbishment of the toilets could be completed. 'We are still trying to get down to some sort of basic details of design, but we very much hope the refurbishment will be undertaken during the course of 2007,' he said. Col Roger Howard, Tavistock's town clerk, said to alleviate the shortage of public conveniences the pannier market toilets would now be open on Mondays, when the market was closed. Entry will be through a side door, not through the main market doors.
