The state of public toilet provision in Scarborough is one of the main concerns highlighted by local residents in an online poll.
The Scarborough United residents group asked local people for their thoughts on issues affecting the town.
Michelle Richardson is from the group.
We ran a poll on, on the group to see what were the priority issues coming directly from residents and the loos were a huge part of that.
Obviously we've lost so many over the, the last two decades. And we need to start thinking about replacing those.
It's not down to businesses to have to provide for non-customers. So the only places in town are like Marks and Spencer's and the library. You shouldn't have to then be a customer of that business to want to spend a penny in this town.
The online poll of Scarborough residents highlighted the provision of public toilets as one of the main concerns for local people alongside the number of empty retail units in the town.
Residents Group, Scarborough United, say the poll showed concern over the reliance on businesses to provide public toilets.
Local Councillor, Janet Jefferson, agrees there is a problem but thinks Scarborough has better provision than many other places in North Yorkshire.
"Toilets are important to people, but I was quite surprised as how many we actually publicly maintained. I think we've got the most probably in Scarborough than anywhere else in the county.
A toilet is essential to people and that's why people feel they have to speak about it.
But we have to look, we have them in the Brunswick. When the Brunswick's developed, we'll get them back again.
We make mistakes with them. I think the biggest mistake we did was with the market, we spent all that money and put toilets on the first floor instead of on the ground floor, which could have had 24 7 accessibility.
So yes, toilets is something we have to look at. "
The poll has been used by the residents group to decide the topics for their new monthly town residents meetings which started last week.
More than half of all responses focused on three basic but vital issues: public toilets, empty shops, and the condition of rundown buildings.
The joint top priorities were new public toilets and tackling empty retail units, each receiving 20% of the vote. Close behind, 15% of residents called for action to tidy up neglected buildings, including prominent sites such as the former North Bay Pool. Together, these issues account for 55% of all responses, highlighting strong public concern about the town’s appearance, facilities, and everyday usability.
Residents also expressed a strong desire for greater transparency and involvement in the £20 million regeneration fund, with 10% of respondents asking how the money will be allocated and how the community will be included in decisions. Improvements to the Town Square (7%) and traffic lights and road layouts (6%) also featured prominently.
Long-standing regeneration projects were another key theme, with residents asking when progress will finally begin on proposals that have been discussed for years. Other priorities included harbour infrastructure, Peasholm Park and Island Wonderland, HMO and hostel planning, and bringing new shops into the Market Hall and Vaults.
| Rank | Priority Item | % of Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Loos | 20% |
| 1 | Empty Retail Units | 20% |
| 3 | Get buildings tidied up (e.g. North Bay Pool etc.) | 15% |
| 4 | £20m funding – allocation process & community involvement | 10% |
| 5 | Town Square | 7% |
| 6 | Traffic lights – timings & locations | 6% |
| 7 | When will action start on long-standing projects? | 5% |
| 8 | Harbour infrastructure | 4% |
| 8 | Peasholm Park, Island Wonderland & café restoration | 4% |
| 10 | Scarborough planning – HMO/hostel strategy | 3% |
| 11 | New shops in Market Hall & Vaults | 2% |
The next meeting is planned for February 16th at the YMCA Theatre.
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