Banff councillor John Cox has called for the toilets at the Market Arch, near Carmelite Street, to be declared surplus to requirements and released from council control.

He wants a local community organisation to step in and take them over, and the newly-formed Banff and Macduff Community Trust has already expressed an interest.

Meanwhile, the fate of another Banff public toilet, the long-closed conveniences on Castle Street, remains undecided.

Councillor Cox's notice of motion to facilitate the reopening of the Market Arch toilets was agreed by Aberdeenshire councillors on the Banff and Buchan area committee at a meeting in Banff last Tuesday.

Aberdeenshire's head of consumer protection and support services, Bill Cassie, told councillors that positive talks had been held with the new community trust about taking over the management of the facilities.

However, he warned that the council would still incur costs for water, rates and consumables under existing community management regulations.

Councillor Cox told the committee: "This area is very important with regard to tourism. The closing of toilets in the town centre has raised concerns not only with tourists but with the general public.

"This building is sitting there doing nothing, when it could be reopened under the control of a community group."

The area committee also deferred a recommendation to approve the demolition of the Castle Street toilet.

The projected £10,000 cost of the demolition work would be borne by the Banff Renaissance Project.

Reopening relief? The public toilets at the Market Arch in Banff's Low Street.

The conveniences were closed around eight years ago during a controversial round of public toilet closures.

At a meeting on December 16, councillors put off their decision to enable the ownership of the site to be clarified, and to determine whether permission was required to knock down the building.

It has since been established that the site was bought by Banff Town Council in 1953, with the title subsequently transferred to Banff and Buchan District Council in 1975, and Aberdeenshire Council in 1996.

The committee deferred its decision again last Tuesday so that "all options" for the future of the conveniences could be explored.

However, Mr Cassie warned that the Banff Renaissance money would only be on the table until the end of the year.

Chairman Sydney Mair said that the community trust should be given time to come up with options for the facilities before anything was agreed.

Banff resident Angus McAllister, Braeheads, earlier submitted a written note of interest to the council to buy and reopen the toilets to save them from the wrecking ball.

He said last Wednesday that he would await the area committee's decision before deciding how to proceed, and would step aside if the community trust agreed to run the facilities.

Mr McAllister said he was prepared to buy any of the three disused public conveniences in Banff – Castle Street, Market Arch or Banff Links – because he feels the town needs more toilet facilities.

e_shepherd@spp-group.com

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