A SET of public toilets in the centre of Knighton remain closed, despite being renovated – because the work that has been completed is “not up to standard”.
That is the opinion of the town council and a local authority inspector, with Knighton mayor Tina Sharp revealing she and her colleagues are in talks with Powys County Council (PCC) to correct the issue, after it sparked anger among residents.
Work at the toilets in the car park behind the Knighton Hotel, off Larkey Lane, has been ongoing for months and many local residents have been asking about progress.
Fencing surrounding the toilets while work was carried out came down about a month ago, yet the toilets remained shut.
Money for the refurbishment project was secured via a grant from the Welsh Government, with the local authority then hiring contractors to carry out the work.
Unfortunately, that work has been poor – even being described as “sub-standard” by Powys’ head of property design.
Read more
Emergency road closure in town centre to last 5 weeks
Bursts leave hundreds in Powys without water amid record-breaking Welsh heat
Powys primary school described as the 'heart of its village' could close
“There has been a lot of speculation around town about the Knighton Hotel car park toilets,” the mayor said at the June meeting of the town council.
“I would like to clarify that Knighton Town Council have spent no money on the refurbishment of these toilets. We had a grant along with other towns from the Welsh Government.
“Powys County Council hired the contractors but unfortunately the work is not up to standard.
“We met with the head of property design last week and he agreed that the work is sub-standard.
“He will be contacting the contractors and will be contacting us with an update.”
Councillor Sharp added: “He is also going to be looking into the water leak, because the water meter is on Powys’ land we need a licence to investigate it.”
Besides the work to bring the toilets up to scratch, there is also a major leak which predates the renovations that the town council are working on to repair.
Town council clerk Lorian Craggs Alferoff said Knighton Town Council is currently in communication with Powys, aiming to make sure that plans to fix the toilets cover all the issues raised.
She added that while the Knighton Hotel toilets remain out of bounds, there are public toilets by the Offa's Dyke Centre, which are open and can be used, having themselves reopened in March.
Work on the Knighton Hotel toilets was also supposed to have been complete in March, but the public conveniences issue has been far from convenient for locals, who have bemoaned how long the problem has dragged on.
“The Knighton Hotel toilets are still currently closed, despite the contractors having left,” Knighton Town Council said in a Facebook post on its Page on June 4.
“There are some remaining issues with the works identified by the town council which need resolving, which are being negotiated with Powys.
“There is also a serious water leak which is being located and then will be fixed, as it is underground and Welsh Water have not identified the correct location.
“These issues are being addressed with priority by Knighton Town Council toilets committee, who will do all they can to get the toilets open as soon as possible.”
A Powys County Council spokesperson said: “We are working with the contractor to secure improvements to some aspects of the refurbishment.”
Share