Auchenblae’s public toilets will soon be reopening after seven years – to prevent visitors to the village relying on residents to let them use their own loos.
Members of the Auchenblae Parks Committee will take ownership of the MacKenzie Avenue building from Aberdeenshire Council for just £1.
Officers decided to close the Auchenblae site for good in 2017.
The site was due to be put on the market, but the community asset transfer request was received just in the nick of time.
Why did the Parks Committee get control of the village toilets?
Auchenblae Parks Committee run a number of sites in the village including The Den, and they are also responsible for the golf club toilets.
Members of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee has now stamped the transfer.
The committee will split the building in two with toilets and baby changing facilities on one side and much needed storage in another.
Holidaymakers rely on residents’ loos
David Sutherland of the Auchenblae Parks Committee told us Auchenblae is a “hidden gem for tourism” – but is getting increasingly popular.
And he revealed the change would prevent strangers from coming into his home and using his own loo.
He said: “My house is right next to the building, and I’ve had several holidaymakers use my toilet.
“I was in my office working one day and my wife said there was someone in our downstairs toilet.
“I’ve seen first-hand a need for public toilets in the community.”
Group chairman Peter Clark added: “We get a lot of people coming through in the summer, the shop gets folk in asking for a toilet all the time.”
Improvements to be made to ‘1980s monstrosity’
The duo admitted they saw the transfer as a chance to make the heart of Auchenblae nicer for visitors and residents alike.
Peter remarked: “It’s a shame because we’ve got this beautiful village and then we have this 1980s monstrosity dilapidated building just sitting there.”
But why did they decide to alter the building to add storage?
“We’ve got a village hall that is bursting at the seams with toys and kits, the Scouts and pre-school groups are struggling for space,” Peter explained.
“We’ve got a massive football shed that is filled with community group stuff but it is right outside the village.
“At least if it’s here, it’s a lot more accessible.”
When will the Auchenblae public toilets reopen?
The building is in need of an upgrade as David noted: “It’s a bit of an eyesore at the moment”.
“We looked at changing the guttering, painting the roof eaves and doors, that’s something we can do quickly.
“Inside the building is in excellent condition, we could open them immediately.”
However, the floor needs refreshed and the partition wall needs to be built.
But committee members are confident they can reopen the toilets within the next year.
Community keen to use storage space for other uses
While items will be stored in the other half of the building initially, Peter says there is “all sorts of possibilities” for the site.
He admitted there is quite a bit of interest in the space and lots of ideas are swirling around.
“It would be nice to turn it into a hub or information area.
“There’s folk in the village that want to run one-off classes or a pop-up shop there.
“One guy wants to make it into a gym but I’m not sure there’s enough space,” he says with a chuckle.
“The priority is to secure the building, repair it and reopen the toilets.”
Conversation