THE BLOXIDGE TALLYGRAPH

New Bloxwich public toilets: illustrations courtesy Walsall Council

Dateline: 9 October 2009

Bloxwich's legendary public toilets, located towards the northern end of High Street, look set to be replaced at long last by brand spanking new bogs - but not until Autumn next year.

Following public consultation which began in September 2008, the final designs showing how the new lavatories will appear have now gone on show in Bloxwich Library - but if you want to see them, get there quickly because closure of the library and theatre for refurbishment is imminent.

The new toilet development, which is tied in with other changes being made as part of the A34 Red Route and Bus Showcase schemes, will see the existing toilet block - which it is believed was built in the late 1950s  - demolished.  It will be rebuilt from scratch to modern standards but with a welcome nod towards heritage design and building materials which are more in keeping with the period character of Bloxwich than some of the ideas at first mooted.

The new block will include single WC's for male and female, an extended disabled toilet, baby changing room and caretaker's room.  These facilities will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a significant improvement over the present arrangement where the toilets are closed in evenings and all day Sundays.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “There are a lot of proposals on the drawing board for Bloxwich and this is just one of the many regeneration projects we have planned."                      

                                                              Layout of the proposed new toilet block (Walsall Council)

"During the consultation some concerns were raised by residents about the proposals. These have been taken into account when drawing up the final designs and I'm optimistic people will be pleased with what we have finally come up with.  I congratulate the activities of the local councillors and community in getting this issue resolved."

Residents had long expressed concerns about a lack of baby changing facilities in Bloxwich and the poor condition of the toilets due to a combination of age, vandalism and inadequate maintenance over the years. 

The new disabled toilet will be fitted with a lock and key system only available to people registered as disabled.

The present oft-reviled "Bloxwich Bogs" at the main bus stop, High Street (SW)

An apparent initial proposal to simply demolish the toilets rather than replace them had been met with incredulity by local people, and another option to replace the old facility with a single WC or high-tech 'superloo' was clearly impractical.  The final design after consultation is much more appropriate and more in keeping with the largely Victorian character of central Bloxwich.  While there are still potential concerns about the reduced number of WC's which will inevitably mean queueing outside at times, there is no doubt that the new facility will be of far superior quality to the present tired and time-expired "Bloxwich Bogs". 

It is hoped demolition will begin in Summer 2010 with building work starting late Autumn. While the work is taking place the contractors will provide and maintain temporary toilets.

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