A FORMER public toilet block is to get a new lease of life as a cafe – and will include a toilet open to all.

The loos in Ipswich Road were controversially closed by Tendring Council two years ago as part of money-saving plans to axe ten public loos.

Now the council has agreed to lease the facility to a new tenant with plans to open up a cafe, complete with a refurbished accessible toilet.

The future tenant said they were delighted to have the opportunity to create the new facility.

“I understand the importance of local community and wish to work alongside the people of Holland-on-Sea to provide a café that residents can enjoy and be proud of,” they said.

“I have listened to the concerns raised by the community and offered to provide a lavatory at the cafe that can be accessed and used by the public when the cafe is open.”

The decision to offer the lease was called-in by Holland councillor Joy Broderick, KT King and Colin Winfield.

But they withdrew their objection after the future tenant offered to make the cafe lavatory open to the public.

Mrs Broderick said: “In the past 18 months since the toilets closure, we have been inundated with cries for help from the elderly and disabled who need to shop locally, but are unable to because the toilets are closed.

“We are pleased that during our call in we were able to agree that the toilets of the proposed cafe will have outside access for the public to use.”

Villagers were previously left angry by plans to turn the building into a dance school, with nearby residents volunteering to run the loos themselves.

Andy White, the council’s head of property services, said: “The tenant’s plans to open a new cafe at the site, subject to planning permission and completing a lease, will make use of the building, provide a modest income for the council and provide both cafe and lavatory facilities for the public.

“Together with the recent sale of a nearby property on Colchester Road, it is hoped the income can be used to improve the open space around the former toilet block and create a local park that can become a much-loved and well-used open space."