SPENDING a penny in Evesham no longer has to cost the planet with the opening of the town’s new Waterside toilets.
The toilets have been rebuilt on the site of the old block and feature a host of water saving and energy efficiency measures, making them the greenest of Wychavon’s loos.
Rainwater harvesting tanks will supply the toilets and urinals and combined energy efficient taps and dryers have also been installed. Solar panels will power the block during the day while the soon to be fitted battery storage system will be charged overnight, helping to cut the building’s carbon footprint and running costs.
The ventilation system and LED lights work on motion sensors so will only operate when the toilets are being used, also helping to cut energy use. Two bat boxes and 18 bug and bee hotels have been added to the block to support biodiversity.
There is also a new Changing Places toilet which will cater for the needs of people with various disabilities.
As an added feature, the back of the toilet block has also been decorated with a piece of public art, specially produced by Pershore blacksmith Steve Cooper. The copper whale is a link to the famous whalebone jaws that stood in Workman Gardens for over a century after being donated to the town.
Coun Emma Stokes, executive board member for Resident and Customer Services, said: “We are delighted to finally be able to open the new and improved Waterside toilets. “It’s taken a lot longer than we wanted to complete the building work, for various reasons, but it was well worth the wait. What we have now is a high-quality, modern, energy-efficient building that sits proudly alongside our other public toilets and I’m sure will be winning awards when the Loo of the Year judges next come to town.”
Earlier this year Wychavon cleaned up at the annual Loo of the Year Awards winning the Best Local Authority Public Toilets in the UK award for 2021, following on from Wychavon’s overall national title win in 2020.
Pershore High Street toilets were also named Best Toilets in a Car Park in the UK, Church Walk in Pershore won the Best Toilet in a Park in the UK award and St Andrew’s Square toilets in Droitwich are officially the Best Unattended Toilet in the UK.
Diamond awards – the highest award possible – were also given to seven of Wychavon’s toilet blocks with the others receiving platinum status.
The awards from the British Toilet Association recognise the significant investment Wychavon continues to make in public loos.
Coun Stokes, added: “It’s been wonderful to see the positive reaction from the public to the new Waterside toilets and that’s why we continue to invest in our loos, because we know how much our residents and visitors value them.”
