HEREFORD will have three new public toilets in a year's time after the Government handed the county £287,000 to install them.

It comes as Herefordshire Council’s recent bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities for Changing Places funding to improve public toilet facilities was successful.

The £287,000 award will allow three new accessible facilities to be developed.

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One will be installed at the Courtyard, in Edgar Street, another at Aspire Living’s community hub in Canal Road and the third at Maylord Shopping Centre.

The council said the third will "complement the new library and learning resource centre due to open in spring 2024".

Dubbed "Changing Places toilets", the scheme will help 10 million people in England and Wales enjoy the day-to-day activities most people take for granted, Herefordshire Council said.

Their generous size means they can accommodate a height-adjustable changing bench, peninsular toilet and grab rails along with a ceiling hoist that allows wheelchair users to use the facilities in safety and comfort.

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The council’s corporate grants team consulted with disability groups Accessible Herefordshire, Hereford Disability United and the local Mencap team to discover their needs. 

"The news comes as a boost, especially for those with multiple learning and other disabilities who struggle to use standard facilities because of their limited mobility," a spokesperson said.

Construction on the new toilets will begin as soon as possible to ensure they’re ready for people to use no later than April 2024.

Applications were limited to a maximum of three new toilet facilities and Herefordshire received the largest allocation made in this round of funding.  

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Councillor Gemma Davies, cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets, said: “This isn’t just good news for disabled people. This is good news for everyone in Herefordshire.

"First, it makes Herefordshire more inclusive as we’re effectively saying we welcome more people here. The second point is that it’s an open invitation to the 10 million disabled people in England and Wales, as well as their carers and their families, to come and enjoy, spend time and money in Herefordshire.

"Our county has always been attractive to most people looking to get away for a break. Having much better facilities will make it attractive to all. This is welcome news in more ways than one.”