A CALL for St Davids to take over the responsibility of a public toilet in the city has been given the go-ahead by senior councillors.
St Davids City Council had called for a freehold transfer of the public convenience at Bryn Road, a toilet listed to be closed following a 2023 Cabinet decision, unless a community asset transfer was agreed or a funding stream identified.
A report for members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet meeting of April 28, said discussions had been ongoing between the council and St Davids City Council (SDCC) since then, St Davids not wanting the facility to close.
“The option of either funding PCC to continue with the facility or undergoing a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) to run the facility themselves were explored, with SDCC agreeing to a transfer but on the proviso that it was on the basis of an unrestricted freehold transfer rather than a long term lease which should be the usual offering for CATs although a transfer of the freehold can also be agreed in exceptional cases,” the report said.
It added: “This request has been made as the land was originally transferred (at no cost) to Haverfordwest Rural District Council (now PCC) by St Davids Parish Council on April 6, 1972. SDCC have rejected a CAT and to date rejected a transfer of the freehold subject to a restriction to continue use of the property as a public convenience on the basis that the land was transferred to Haverfordwest District Council at nil consideration without restriction.”
It went on to say: “SDCC are happy to continue providing a toilet from this site, however the City Council have requested an unrestricted freehold transfer of this property which will allow them to close the facility and use the building for alternative purposes if they wish. As this disposal would be at an ‘undervalue’ to the council, somewhere in the region of £30,000 to £60,000 Cabinet approval is required.”
It concluded: “The risk to PCC is that we gift the property back to SDCC without restriction and they then close the WC facility and sell the property on for a profit. However, SDCC say they have no intention of doing this, certainly in the short / medium term and are therefore happy to add in a covenant which does not allow any sale of the property without the consent of PCC for the next 10 years which is considered reasonable to enable both parties to achieve their well-being goals.”
Cabinet members backed a recommendation to dispose of the facilities at an undervalue with the restriction that SDCC would not be able to dispose of the asset within the next 10 years without the consent of the county council.
