Key talks over axed Holt toilets
Two councils are set to start negotiations over the future of a controversial disused toilet block at Holt.Holt Town Council wants to buy the axed block from North Norfolk District Council, who shut it in 2005 as part of a wider review but whose previous attempts to sell off the land for housing were blocked when it turned down its own planning application.
Two councils are set to start negotiations over the future of a controversial disused toilet block at Holt.
Holt Town Council wants to buy the axed block from North Norfolk District Council, who shut it in 2005 as part of a wider review but whose previous attempts to sell off the land for housing were blocked when it turned down its own planning application.
The saga, which has caused some friction between the two tiers of local government, will now see the two sides around the table seeking to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.
District council cabinet has given the town a 60-day window to firm up its offer starting from Tuesday when the two councils were due to meet to discuss the matter.
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Town clerk Di Dann said they had already tabled an offer 'based on a qualified valuation.' The immediate aim was to reopen and run the existing toilets, then progress to the second stage of providing a modern toilet bock combined with a community building which could include an archive room, office, and information point for visitors.
It was planned to hold further meetings with the community before drawing up a more detailed scheme and business case, she added.
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At the recent town council meeting, local district councillor Philip High voiced his anger that the town council had not attended the district cabinet meeting for the important issue which had previously attracted 100 protestors to a planning meeting.
There was criticism too during public question time that a feasibility study into the toilet scheme was not widely publicised, having only been on display in the local library.
The clerk said it would be on the council website soon.
Work on a major upgrade of the town's other toilets on the Albert Street car park is due to start on February 2 and run until March 27.
There are also plans to put an electronic touch-screen travel and local information point next to the town's millennium bus shelter in the Market Place.
