Upgraded toilets approved for Blackpool's Stanley Park

Town hall planners agreed the application by the council for the site on Mawson Drive, near the Visitor Centre, using their delegated powers.

It means the traditional male and female toilets will be replaced by a set of unisex cubicles accessed by either coin or contactless payment slots.

In September 2021, the state of the toilets came under fire for being dirty and unusable by families visiting the award-winning park.

The approved scheme is for the installation of five additional doors with external lights above on the south eastern elevation facing into the car park to serve individual toilet cubicles.

Part of the existing shrubbery island will be removed to allow access to the new doors with five separate toilet cubicles including an accessible toilet, andservice and storage areas included in the building.

Council heritage chiefs were consulted about the proposals due to the park’s conservation area status, but gave the scheme their blessing.

A statement says: “The public benefit of the development of having toilets accessible through the parks opening hours together with the steps to mitigate changes to the building will outweigh any visual harm to the structure or the park as a whole.”

Mum-of-five Sandra Rowe from Thornton, blasted the state of the toilets in the park when she visited last year with her children.

She said at the time: “We visited Stanley Park on Sunday and I was absolutely disgusted at the toilet facilities I had to take our children to.”

She said the cubicles had no locks, one toilet had no seat and all four cubicles were completely unusable due to the mess they were in.

Ms Rowe added: “The floor was a swimming in the worst smelling liquid I have ever smelt that actually made my sister in law wretch. The men’s toilets were almost as bad.

“It isn’t the first time we have visited the park and been unable to use the facilities and apparently people have complained again and again about the state of the loos and nothing gets done.”

The council said the toilets were regularly cleaned and blamed vandals for the mess.