Feeling flush?
Four public toilets in Angus are set to be sold off after being deemed surplus to requirements.
Councillors have approved the sale of public conveniences in Kirriemuir, Westhaven, Forfar and Monifieth.
The new owner would have to apply for permission but the unattended lavatories could be converted for a range of uses.
In recent years former public loos have been transformed into bars, restaurants, cafés and even high-class homes.
Several years ago toilets in a listed building in St Andrews sold for £200,000 and were transformed into an attractive cottage.
Nine public loos in Arbroath, Forfar, Montrose and Carnoustie were previously sold off by the council to save money.
The latest toilets to be sold off are situated in The Den, Kirriemuir, Norries Road, Westhaven, Arbroath Road, Forfar, and Tay Street, Monifieth.
Ian Cochrane, head of technical and property services, said the toilets had been “circulated to all Directorates with no interest being shown”.
The loos will now be either marketed for sale on the open market or made available for Community Asset Transfer.
One of the properties – Arbroath Road, Forfar, forms part of the Forfar Common Good.
Consequently, there are complexities involved in any potential disposal and recourse to the Sheriff Court for authority to sell may be required.
Further consultation is taking place with legal services before deciding “whether it is appropriate to dispose of this property”.
The local community in Easthaven previously took ownership of public toilets which were originally built in the 1970s.
The idea of a community partnership arose when the local authority had to consider the long-term viability of its network of public toilets across Angus.
The toilets were transformed into an art gallery by locals after volunteers modernised and decorated the building.
The toilets are now run by local charity East Haven Together and are now affectionately known as the Loo-uvre.
Despite having existed on British high streets for 150 years, at least 1,782 facilities have closed across the UK in the last decade..
Councils have no legal obligation to provide loos for the general public, and often shut down facilities if they become too expensive to maintain.
