Town Councillors Agree to Refurbish Public Toilet Facility at Hailsham Cemetery

Hailsham Town Council is delighted to announce the full refurbishment of the public toilet block at Hailsham Cemetery in Ersham Road.

These changes will include a complete upgrade of the existing toilet building, rather than installing an entirely new toilet block as originally proposed by the Assets Management Committee, and will be carried by Town Council works staff later this year.

The current toilet facilities at the cemetery have for some time been unfit for purpose and, although accessible and kept clean, the facility is considered to be in need of refurbishment due to exposed pipework and outdated sanitaryware and other fittings, which are also showing signs of wear.

Work to be carried out on site will initially include landscaping of the area around the toilet block and the replacement of all nearby fencing, before work on the building itself such as tile repairs and the replacement of soffits, gutters and downpipes.

The interior walls are to be replaced with plastic panelling plastic, while the ceiling is to be over-boarded with new plasterboard and the original quarry tile floor to be replaced with new anti-slip tiles.

The cost of the toilet block refurbishment will come in at around £35,000, which will be drawn from the Town Council’s existing Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds.

“I’m delighted that councillors have recognised the importance of refurbishing the toilet facilities at Hailsham Cemetery and agreed to move on with the project,” said Cllr Alexa Clarke, Chair of the Assets Management Committee. “The Town Council is committed to delivering facilities that are not only compliant with accessibility standards but also provide a welcoming and comfortable experience for everyone who uses them.”

“Public toilet provision in Hailsham is something we’ve been working hard on recently and we know that lots of people rely on decent facilities being available when they’re out and about. It makes a real difference if the facilities are clean and well maintained.

The decision to move ahead with the project follows the recent installation of the new public toilet and Changing Places facility in Vicarage Field, which will be opened to the public in the future,  once the necessary utility service connections have been completed.

The installation of the Vicarage Field facility, which was also funded from the Town Council’s CIL reserves, was carried out amidst a high-profile national campaign to increase the numbers of these specialist public conveniences. The completion of the project came as good news for residents and visitors to the town. The Town Council is grateful to Wealden District Council for their co-operation on the joint-working project from the outset and for agreeing to install the facility on their land.