Ludlow public toilets to be demolished
Public toilets are to be knocked down and replaced with a shop and offices in a county town, it has been decided.
The public toilets on New Road in Ludlow, near Ludlow Hospital, are to go after three years of being closed and unused, Shropshire Council planners have confirmed.
Ludlow has functioning public toilets in both the central Castle Street car park and the edge of town Smithfield car park, but those on New Road have been long defunct.
Now planning officers have rubber-stamped an application to knock them down and instead create a new shop, with offices and storage above, to sit alongside the existing One Stop shop there.
Jim Entwistle architectural technician with Halls Holdings Limited, acting on behalf of applicant Gulam Ahmed, said: "As it stands, the existing site is under-utilised and the building is of limited use. It is small, dilapidated and unfit for purpose.
"In recent years the building has been broken into and vandalised and is in danger of becoming more dilapidated if something is not done with it in the near future.
"Halls commercial department has previously marketed the property for over three years with little or no interest due to the size and condition of the existing building.
"This proposal makes the best possible use of a small site and accords with local policy."
He said the design had not changed significantly from a previous application which was considered to be satisfactory by Shropshire Council planners.
The proposed building fill the site but leave gated access to the stairwell of a flat next door and have a "hipped" roof design so that it will not block out light to neighbouring flats.
The windows have been designed to reflect the style of windows in the area and the shop front will have a traditional pelmet above the glazing, Mr Entwistle said.
A report by planning officer Julie Preston said: "The new use will provide an additional local service and employment opportunities."
