PREPARATION work ahead of the demolition of a public toilet block which has been in a state of disrepair since 2022 has finally started this week.

Wellington Town Council has told the Wellington Weekly News that work was due to start on the Longforth Street building on Wednesday, March 20.

Contractors have been seen setting up a compound and scaffolding around the structure in readiness for demolition.

The council has warned residents that the footpath which runs alongside the toilet block will be closed to ensure public safety during the demolition.

Diversion signs for pedestrians will also be in place.

Wellington Town Council hired a specialist contractor to assess the level of asbestos within the block which will need to be removed before work at the site begins.

Work to demolish the toilets will begin after the Easter weekend, so long as the asbestos removal is completed successfully.

The public toilets on Longforth Street initially closed in December, 2022, after a BMW car came off the road and crashed into them.

An investigation found the force of the crash had caused a partial demolition of the toilets, bringing down masonry and leaving large cracks along its frontage.

Thankfully, nobody was injured during the crash and at the time of the incident both public cubicles were open but not in use.

Wellington Town Council contracted a structural engineer to examine the toilets who produced reports to see if repairs could be carried out.

Before the crash, the council had been seeking to demolish and replace the toilets and initially had a budget of £145,000 to complete the project.

Many hoped that the crash would speed up the demolition and replacement of the public toilets.

Wellington Town Council said in a press release: “From next Monday a specialist contractor will be removing asbestos containing material from the site and if all goes according to plan the demolition proper will start straight after the Easter weekend.

“The building itself is planned to be down by April 16 with all remaining works to make the site safe and secure completed by April 26.

“The council will be deciding on the design for the replacement toilet block in the coming weeks.”

In June 2023, town clerk Dave Farrow presented councillors with a detailed plan and a risk register for the work, which was developed alongside Ravenslade management consultants.

“If we follow the process we should be finished by January, 2025,” he said at the time.

Cllr Marcus Barr, the Mayor of Wellington, realising that building costs were going up, said: “We are going to have to be quite smart when we set the budget.”

Wellington Weekly News reported last month how Wellington Town Council’s policy and resources committee were told that plans for the toilet block in Longforth Road were finally moving ahead.

Once the old toilet blocks have been removed, it is hoped that works to build the new toilets will commence shortly after.