Developer refuses to hand over new toilet in row with council

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 08:55

THE public are being stopped from spending a penny in a new toilet block due to a £16,000 legal dispute.

The public conveniences have been kept locked up since they were built seven weeks ago thanks to the dispute between developers and the council.

The building on Colinton Road was put up to replace a dilapidated old toilet block standing next door.

But the builders, Eco-Logical Developments, are refusing to hand them over, allowing them to open, until their row with the council is settled. Eco-Logical agreed to build the public convenience in return for the chance to turn the old loos into a house or office.

The existing public conveniences are housed in a former tram ticket office which the council didn't want to see demolished.

But the developers say that the local authority has upped its demand for fees, including legal costs.

Colinton/Fairmilehead Councillor Jason Rust said the stalemate was frustrating for residents: "The old toilets are now in a shocking condition internally," he said today. "The new public toilets are ready for use and heads have to be banged together.

"A public convenience it is not. I understand everyone from bus drivers to walkers in the Pentlands and local people make use of the facilities.

"The community was keen for years to remove the eyesore that was the old garage site in the heart of the village. This development was therefore broadly welcomed and it is disappointing that after all this time there is this further delay."

Eco-Logical director Eddie Mathieson said: "The toilets have been completed since 12 September and are ready for use – we'd like to get them handed over as soon as possible."

David Bewsey, convener of the Colinton Amenity Association, said he believed the council had initially asked for around 16,000 from the developers.

He added that the current toilets were in a poor state, and often used as a meeting place for men seeking sex with men.

"The figure seems high considering Eco-Logical are giving Colinton something new," he said. "It is a better facility, and perhaps there won't be so much cottaging going on because it's a more exposed site. There have been problems with the old toilets, like water leaks. This new facility is there, ready to go and I think everybody's hacked off about it."

A council spokesman said: "Discussions with the developers are currently ongoing. In the meantime the council has toilets which remain open in Colinton."