Petition calls for public toilets in Aldwick to be reopened

The petition, which launched this week and already has nearly 150 signatures, calls on Arun District Council to reopen the toilets in Marine Park Gardens, Aldwick, on the western side of Bognor Regis beach front, ‘as a matter of urgency’.

The petition’s organisers claim there are not enough public facilities in Aldwick, which has had a negative affect on elderly residents and visitors to Bognor Regis seafront, as well as families with young children and disabled people.

“These groups now don’t use the beach or they use it only for a short period of time, or they use it and have to go and buy food or drink at a nearly bar simply because they need to use a toilet. This should not be the only option in a civilised public society, and the beach and local businesses no doubt lose custom as a result,” the petition says.

Arun District Council first closed the toilets in 2011 after the parish council withdrew partnership funding, forcing the district to subsidise the facilities through the summer months – an additional expense which eventually proved too much.

This latest attempt to reopen the toilets comes alongside the submission of a planning application which, if approved, could see West Park Café expand into the neighbouring toilet block. The expansion would see the café benefit from a reinvigorated look, more seating, more food-prep space, external bin space and the conversion of the roof into a terrace seating area. The café would retain two unisex bathroom stalls and one disabled stall on the ground floor, but all the other toilets would be removed.

Although the organisers of the petition argue that, since the West Park toilets are 20 minutes away from the most easterly parts of the beach, alternative provisions are necessary whatever happens to West Park Café, the area could soon find itself without any toilet provision to speak of, as some supporters have made clear.

As the number of signatures continues to grow, the petition has already attracted a cohort of vocal supporters: "I find it embarrassing to ask in nearby pubs if I can use their facilities,” one resident said. “These facilities are essential for the good of our community," added another.

Find the petition at www.change.org/p/reinstate-public-toilet-facilities-in-marine-park-gardens-aldwick