The Beckenham Society has lodged a formal objection to the closure of the public toilets in the High Street Beckenham. The proposal will now be discussed at the Executive Committee meeting on 11 February. There is still time to register your objections. You can send them to csc@Bromley.gov.uk
A protest organised by The Beckenham Society
The Beckenham Society has not been able to obtain accurate figures for the running of the toilets. The costings given seem to be vastly out of scale compared with other public toilets in the neighbourhood. The only nearby alternative as a so called Community Toilet is in Costa Coffee in the High Street. This is a single toilet at the rear of the premises with inadequate signage that it is available to non-customers. The council pays £1000 a year to Costa Coffee for this “facility”. Other premises are far away eg Waitrose or the Odeon cinema, and as far as the latter is concerned does not open until the afternoon most days.
Copers Cope Area Residents’ Association have applied to have the toilets listed as an Asset of Community Value, which means that the council would have to offer it to a local group or other provider before selling it on the open market. This location is of course of prime importance to the centre of Beckenham, affording great views of “Church Hill”.
View from the flower beds/ toilets to St George’s Church
There is great concern that if the toilets were closed, the whole of the flower bed area would be included in any sale. This has not been ruled out by Cllr Smith.
