Northumberland council approves £315k scheme to make tourist spots more accessible

A North East council has approved a £315k scheme to support the construction of accessible facilities at tourist locations.

Northumberland County Council has given the green light to plans to fully refurbish both the Holy Island and Seahouses public toilets, incorporating a ‘Changing Places’ facility at each location - for those with multiple or profound physical and/or learning disabilities.

The six-figure scheme will include a height adjustable adult size changing bench, a hoist system and sufficient space for two carers.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for environment and local services, commented: “This is a very large investment but we feel that public toilets are so important that we are bucking the trend by putting money into them.

“Residents and tourists alike should not have to worry about finding a loo and over the next year or two we want to see improvements in others.

“Currently the toilets on the island and at Seahouses offer only a very basic service and don’t meet modern day requirements.

“As they are so well used we feel there’s a need to go beyond simple repairs and maintenance, and to fully refurbish them.

“We also know the availability of Changing Places toilets can make a huge difference to people with a range of disabilities and their carers, helping them to access their communities and our many tourist destinations.”

The work would have started earlier this year but was delayed due to the need to redesign the facilities to make them “covid resilient”.

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