Councils set to agree land deal for new Kettering town centre public toilets

Two councils look set to agree a deal for a piece of Kettering land which will be used for new public toilets.

Kettering Town Council will pay North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) £4,200 for the Wadcroft plot, just behind The Peacock pub in Lower Street.

They want to install permanent free-to-use loos there to support the town centre. Temporary toilets in Meadow Road closed last year and many shoppers who want to spend a penny currently have to go to McDonald’s, a supermarket or the Newlands Shopping Centre.

The council has £75,000 in reserves to fund the whole project and a further sum of £25,000 in this year’s budget.

A report set to be discussed by councillors tomorrow (Wednesday) said: “The provision of public toilets will support the town centre, and is intended to encourage more shopping and leisure visits to the town centre, which in turn will reduce the number of longer trips people make to other destinations.

"There is a tree on the site which it is hoped can be retained. If not, some replacement planting would need to be arranged.”

Plans for the new loos were first announced in 2021 and the council previously said that two or three self-contained cubicles, including one with baby changing and disabled access, would suffice for an estimated 20,000 visits per year.

A previous report said NNC seemed prepared to transfer the land to for this purpose at no cost, but draft heads of terms for the disposal of the land now include a £4,200 acquisition sum. The purchase is subject to the scheme securing planning permission.