Community rally to save Avoch public toilets
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A BLACK Isle community council is spending more than a penny to save a public toilet.
The busy facility at Avoch closed at short notice at the end of June when leaseholders the Harbour Trust pulled the plug after being hit by several heavy plumbing bills to clear blocked pipes.
The blockages were blamed on inconsiderate camper van users dumping the contents of their chemical toilets down the pan to avoid paying for using special facilities nearby.
Now Avoch and Killen Community Council has stepped up, with the toilets scheduled to re-open tomorrow (Saturday).
And It is also setting up an online Crowdfunding page for contributions to finance long term retention of the facilities.
Five years ago the Highland Council facility was set to close as part of cost cutting, before Avoch Harbour Trust came to the rescue, and now the community council.
Community council secretary Sarah Macdonald-Taylor said: “Our priority is to keep the vital facility running over the summer, but for the long term we are setting up an online Crowdfunding page which hopefully will give us two ways of raising money.
“We have a very generous local community in Avoch and people can donate online, but it will also give us a QR code which we can display in the toilets so that users can scan it with their mobile phones and make a donation.
“There will also be a facility to leave cash donations.
“The toilets are really a fundamental facility especially being so prominently sited at the harbour, and it was such a priority that the community council decided it was time for us to step up to take the challenge on.
“It will cost £6000 a year to run the toilets, but we had to get it up and running for the busy summer season. We do get money from Highland Council’s comfort fund, but it will only cover two-fifths of the annual costs.”
She added: “We are hopeful people will treat the toilets with respect, and if they don’t we will cross that bridge when we reach it.”
Highland councillor Sarah Atkin said: “I know how important it is for the community and local businesses, that there are public toilets in the village.
“The timing of the closure, just ahead of the summer holidays wasn’t great but I do have sympathy with the Harbour Trust’s predicament.
“In the end, the community council stepped up to the challenge which is fantastic, and all credit to them. Now, it’s all hands to the pump in getting them ready to reopen.
“Maintaining them will depend heavily upon donations and other funding sources.
“These longer-term plans will be explored after the summer but, for now, the toilets are saved.”
“We have two local camp sites happy to dispose of camper van waste, for a small charge, that’s what is so frustrating.”
Gwyn Tanner, harbourmaster for Avoch Harbour Trust, said: “It was decided enough is enough and we closed on June 30.
“The camper van people keep emptying their boxes despite explicit signs asking them not to and directing them to where they can dump their waste for a small charge.
“We had four plumbing call outs with blockages from camper van waste in two months at £65 a callout.”
When the Crowdfunding page is set up details will be found on the community council website or their Facebook page.
