Pannier Market toilet closure 'driving away customers'
BARNSTAPLE Pannier Market traders have claimed the closure of well-used town centre toilets is causing confusion and disruption.
The stallholders have called on North Devon Council to reopen the Market Street facilities.
The Pannier Market Traders' Committee has written a letter outlining its concerns to North Devon Council leader Des Brailey (Cons).
Any coach party members who are dropped off in Boutport Street, for example, now have to walk across town to new toilets in the Cattle Market car park.
Market traders are frequently asked for directions to the nearest public toilets and once the directions are given, the visitors do not return to spend money on market stalls, the stallholders claim.
A market trader who wished to remain anonymous said: "Once you send them off they never come back, so we lose trade. People are very disgruntled because it is so far to walk, especially for the disabled.
"Surely, there must be money to revamp the Market Street toilets and open them up again."
A petition, calling for such a move, has already gathered significant support, with 40 pages of signatures.
The letter to the council concludes that with the approaching holiday season when it is desirable to keep visitors in the pannier market and on the High Street, it would appear to be "a particularly inadvisable time" to close the Market Street facilities.
And, even if the closure decision cannot be reversed permanently, the stallholders are hoping for a reprieve for the summer months.
The closure of the old toilets has not just affected trade at the pannier market. Terry Goodman, who runs Colors, the curtain and fabric shop in Market Street, said the number of people going past had "really dropped off."
He said: "When the buses and coaches stopped outside Marshalls pub and the Queen's Theatre, people would make a beeline for the nearest toilets (in Market Street). That doesn't happen now.
"The toilets have been closed and we are the ones who are suffering. The council gave no thought to us."
He pointed out that a lot of the shops have had people asking if they could use their toilets. And, he had also seen two men urinating in the street.
Steve Pitcher, the council's executive director, said: "It was always our intention to close the Market Street toilets once we had opened the new ones at the Cattle Market.
"The (old) toilets were clearly no longer fit for purpose and their refurbishment would have been extremely costly."
However, he said the council was still exploring other options such as the possibility of providing a small toilet unit near the market for the public.
He added: "The town centre is not badly served now. There are toilets at the bus station, Cattle Market and Green Lanes Shopping Centre."
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by Anon, Local
Thursday, August 06 2009, 7:22PM
“I have visited the Cattle Market toilets once - never again. They are disgusting, paper all over the floor, the smell was horrific and made me feel sick,.At least the Pannier Markets were as some of the comments made "grotty" the lady that cleaned them did her best to keep them spotless and smelling fresh - full marks to her. Its the state that people leave them in etc., that made them like they are.
I agree put a turnstile in them and pay 20p its worth it in the end to have decent toilets.
I agree with the comments about the stones which are suppose to enhance our Town what a joke!!!! Complete waste of money. There should have been a sculpture representing our Town and not bits of unsightly granite. Again the Council did not "listen" to the people of the Town did they?”
by Kat, B'ple
Tuesday, July 21 2009, 4:46PM
“Personally i hated using the market toilets, although when you have young children they did come in handy. I think they should of re-done the market wc but also put in place a mums and baby wc. Barnstaple have no public facilities for mums and baby. I use M&S as they are the only ones i know of. Greenlanes have baby changing but if mum or dad needs to use the wc you have to leave your baby unatended. I think that the new toilets should have a small fee ie 20p so they dont get abused by thugs. Yes bring back the market toilets but refurbished.”
by Barry, BARNSTAPLE
Friday, July 03 2009, 8:26PM
“Once again buildings designed by "our" council are railroaded through without listening to public opinion. No body I know would have agreed to unisex toilets.”
by Tabs, Barnstaple
Wednesday, June 24 2009, 12:38AM
“I work on the high street of Barnstaple close to these toilets and are glad they have closed! I personally avoided these toilets, they were filthy and always slippery, not to mention the countless needles on the floor or food rubbish stuffed in the toilets! Once when i walked in there was a couple kissing on the sinks! These toilets needed to close i don't deny that a turnstile would be an excellent idea but for someone not to abuse this you would need constant surveillance which costs more money. I really don't mind walkng across town too the Green Lanes toilets.”
by M Mills, Oxford
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 9:05AM
“As a family of 'Grockles' we visit North devon twice a year, and visit the Pannier Market when we are there. I think it is really daft to have closed these toilets as the alternative is too far away (Greenlanes is OK, but when we go in the height of Summer, and everywhere is busy, the queues are a mile long). The central loos in Oxford by our Covered Market suffer from abuse (of the drug kind), but our council have taken steps to stop this. Maybe someone should liaise with them to see what could be done? Looking forward to our visit to N.Devon in August anyway...and will make sure I use a loo before visiting the Pannier Market!”
by Rach, Barnstaple
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 1:16AM
“Personally I too would rather "hold on" until I had got to Green lanes. Sometimes though that isn't practical especially if you have a young child desperate to go..oh yep not to mention the groccles straight off the coaches. I can't see why the council couldn't of revamped these toilets and then charged a minimal amount to use them to not only keep them cleaner but deter unsavoury sorts from going near. The market holds no interest to me but I can fully appreciate/sympathise how this toilets closure has affected the earnings of all those working there.
Quite a sad state of affairs really when the only available outside public toilet left is way over by the cattle market. I haven't yet had the displeasure of visiting it but by all accounts so far it sounds none too appealing. Who's bright spark idea was it to have it unisex and so therefor ladies having to put up the stench of male unrine/spash backs? everywhere?! (*SIGHS*)”
by Billy Bustin, Bideford
Monday, June 15 2009, 9:53PM
“You are so lucky to have a pannier market on level ground, with a cafe in the grounds.a nice antique/ collectors market to visit, and you go and remove the Loos. Opps or should I say poops”
by george brown, bideford
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:20PM
“as an OAP, like lots of the visitors,I think it is essential that there should be toilets as near as possible to what is a main attraction in barnstaple.”
by george brown, bideford
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:11PM
“As an OAP, as many visitors ,not only to the market must be it is vital to retain toilets nearest to what after all is one of the main attractions in barnstaple.”
by mobo, Barnstaple
Sunday, June 14 2009, 7:47PM
“The new public toilet block situated in the Cattle Market car park might look very nice, but under whose guidance was it constructed to be a unisex facility? The stench emanating from and within this building is disgusting. I have only used them once; I would never use them again. The urinary functions of male and female are totally different and require separate facilities to service these needs. To have only one public facility that is not centrally located in a town the size of Barnstaple beggars belief. Why should the local stores and shopping centres provide a service, at a considerable cost to themselves, that clearly should come out of the public coffers. As businesses and local people we pay an extraordinary amount of money into the local government pot is it beyond reason to not expect something in return?”