A CONTROVERSIAL decision to close a public toilet at Tavistock Bus Station could be overturned.

West Devon Borough Council last week announced that it was ‘actively working’ to agree a sustainable solution to reopen one of the toilets as a unisex facility.

The three bus station toilets were closed to the public in April last year as part of West Devon Borough Council’s efforts to save more than £250,000 from its budget over the next three years.

Borough councillors felt that the closure of the busy bus station toilets was the ‘least worst’ option for closure out of the three public toilets in Tavistock.

The Guildhall Car Park toilets are expected to be taken over by Tavistock Town Council in April subject to an agreement with West Devon Borough Council

Local councillors and residents, however, highlighted the problem the closure of the bus station’s public conveniences was causing for visitors, bus passengers and bus drivers.

Cllr Neil Jory, West Devon Borough Council’s leader and lead member for assets, said: ‘We have been actively working with stakeholders and the town council to agree a sustainable long term solution to enable the reopening of the disabled toilet as a unisex facility with the intention that anyone can use it.

‘We really appreciate the interest and commitment of all the parties involved in discussions on what we understand is an important issue for the town.

‘Negotiations have been extremely positive and constructive and we expect to be in a position to make a formal decision very soon.’

The borough council has made a request to Tavistock Town Council for a grant towards the reopening of the disabled toilet unit.

Wendy Norman, who runs the kiosk shop at the bus station and leases the property from the borough council, said the news that the disabled toilet could be reopened as a unisex facility was ‘great news’.

In May, Wendy compiled a petition against the closure after seeing the problem it was causing people who were being directed to the toilets in Bedford Car Park — and in just over four weeks had 1,011 signatures.

She said: ‘The closure of the toilets has been a nightmare and has greatly cost my business. People get off the bus, head straight over to the Bedford toilets and then don’t come back and head straight into town or they don’t want to risk drinking a cup of tea while waiting for their bus as there are no toilets for them to use. People have also been cross with us because we are not able to let them use our own personal toilets.

‘When the toilet does reopen I hope this will help the bus users, bus drivers and visitors and boost our business.’

Former borough councillor Graham Parker, who was against the closure of the bus station toilets and opposed the decision, said: ‘It’s almost been a year and people are still complaining to me that the toilets are closed so this is really good news for Wendy, for bus users and for bus drivers who sometimes have to leave a bus load of travellers on the bus so they can use the Bedford Car Park toilets.

‘It was ridiculous that the council closed perfectly serviceable toilets in the first place.

‘If the council come through on this then good on them — it’s taken them a year to realise they were wrong to close these toilets.’