Public Toilets Survey

Date: Monday 8 January

Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) has launched a survey to gauge public support for a possible community take-over of the east Perthshire town’s public toilets building.

Perth and Kinross Council announced last year that the public toilet buildings in Blairgowrie, as well as those in Crieff, Auchterarder, and Marshall Place in Perth, are to close from March 31st this year in an effort to save operating costs.

The local authority then invited community groups in the region to consider taking on the buildings and the facilities through a possible asset transfer.

As well as carrying out the survey, BRDT is also meeting with other local groups and organisations in the town, including Blairgowrie and East Perthshire Tourist Association (BEPTA), Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council (BRCC) and Blairgowrie and Rattray Business Association (BARBA) to discuss possible options.

The public toilets in Blairgowrie are currently open all year-round and are staffed. However, according to PKC, the costs of running the facilities that it has identified for closure are being subsidised by local residents.

Teresa Donaldson is chair of BRDT.

She said: “We are aware of the concerns many people in the town have around the closure of the public toilets in Blairgowrie at the end of March in terms of the impact it will have on both local residents and visitors to the town.

“However, it has to be remembered that the decision by PKC to close the public toilets is a clear indication that the facilities cannot operate sustainably in the way that they are currently being run.

“Any future operating model is likely to rely on being run by volunteers. Financial sponsorship and donations may also be required to ensure that the facilities are kept open.

“We are therefore carrying out this survey in an effort to determine whether there is a demand for taking the toilets on as a community-led project and also whether there is a willingness amongst local residents to get involved with management of any such project and the day-to-day running of the facilities.

“We are also working with our colleagues in BARBA, BRCC and BEPTA on how best to do this and hopefully deliver a project that will have a positive impact for the town.”

Murray Scott is chair of BEPTA. He said: “BEPTA is the main destination marketing organisation for the Blairgowrie and East Perthshire area, providing aspirational and inspirational content to encourage potential visitors to choose this part of the world for their next trip.

“Having basic facilities available for visitors to make use of is important to the town, not least because it could make the difference between people stopping for a break in Blairgowrie and then spending some time visiting the shops and eateries here, boosting the local economy, rather than going elsewhere.

“There is also the potential to do something a little bit different and special as other communities around Scotland have done, further improving the offering we have for visitors.

“As always though, there needs to be an enthusiasm and commitment from the community to achieve that, and I would therefore encourage anyone who is interested to complete the survey.”

The survey can be found online at https://discoverblairgowrie.co.uk/community/blairgowrie-rattray-public-toilet-survey

Paper copies will also be available in a number of locations in Blairgowrie including the BaRI Building at 53-55 High Street, Mitchell’s Newsagents, also on the High Street, and Blairgowrie Library on Leslie Street.

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