Volunteers call for pause of toilet block sale

A community group has called for the sale of a derelict toilet block to be paused over fears its volunteers would lose access to a park they have been looking after.

Durham County Council put the disused facility, at Elvet Waterside, near Durham city centre, on the market at the end of October.

Simpa Carter, from Hemp Garden Community Association (HGCA), which has been looking after the surrounding land, criticised the bidding process and said volunteers were worried selling the facility to a private developer could see them removed from the area.

The Reform UK-led local authority said it would consider all proposals and the property had been "extensively advertised" in the public domain.

The building, believed to date to the late 1950s, has not been used for almost 20 years.

Mr Carter and volunteers started looking after the site in 2017, helping to renovate the land at Elvet Waterside, near The Racecourse cricket ground and former baths, into a community garden and public park.

The group wants to turn the toilet block into a community cafe with profits reinvested into the local area.

Mr Carter said the council had previously praised their work and had agreed to meet them back in the spring to discuss their vision.

However, he said the meeting still had not happened and volunteers worried they could be removed and the park "destroyed" if the toilet block was sold to a private business.

Graham Wood, the council's economic development manager, said the local authority was "grateful" to all volunteers across the county who helped to keep landscapes "looking fantastic".

"We would encourage all those interested in acquiring the former public toilet building to get in touch if they have any questions and we look forward to receiving bids," he added.

The council is accepting bids for the toilet block until 19 January.

Mr Carter said his group was preparing a bid, but worried the process would be "mishandled" and called on the council to meet with the group.

The local authority said it had a statutory duty to ensure the best overall value was received in return for its assets and it was encouraging bids, with all proposals considered.

It added the deadline had been designed so all interested parties had enough time to prepare their bids, which are to include an outline business case.

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