(Image: Ilkley Town Council)
Residents are being asked for their views on how a £220,000-plus project to rebuild the town's central car park toilets should be funded.
A community consultation has been launched by Ilkley Town Council as it seeks feedback on proposals to fund the rebuilding of the Brook Street central car park public toilets.
Households in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding will shortly receive a consultation survey through their letterboxes, with residents encouraged to return it to Ilkley Town Hall or Ilkley Library, or complete it online.
The central car park toilets are owned by Bradford Council but are leased to Ilkley Town Council under a 50-year agreement. As a result, the town council is responsible for the building's day-to-day management, cleaning and maintenance.
The facility was last refurbished in 2000 and, after 25 years of use, the council says it is increasingly showing signs of age, with maintenance costs continuing to rise.
A public consultation carried out by the town council in summer 2024 found that most respondents supported improvements to the toilets. Following that feedback, the council commissioned a quantity surveyor's report, which recommended demolishing the existing building and replacing it with a new structure.
The estimated cost of the project is £220,785, plus a contingency of between five and 10 per cent.
Ilkley Town Council has already agreed the toilets should be replaced and has earmarked reserves and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) of approximately £100,000 that will be used towards this project. The Council is now asking residents to support the project and the means of raising £142,000, so that the project can be completed in early 2027.
The council has identified two main options.
The first would be to raise the money through a one-off increase in the town council precept, taking the total amount held in reserve for the project to £242,000 in 2027-28. Based on the current tax base, this would mean an increase of £19.24, or 33.77 per cent, for a Band D property. The council says this would be a one-off rise to fund the project and would not need to be repeated in future years.
The second option would see the council apply to borrow £142,000 from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB), spreading the cost over a 10-year period. Under current rates, a 10-year fixed-rate loan of £142,000 would attract interest of 5.81 per cent, resulting in annual repayments of £18,255 and a total repayment cost of £191,681. This would mean total interest charges of £49,681 over the life of the loan.
The council says borrowing would significantly spread the cost to residents, resulting in a smaller increase in the precept. For a Band D household, this would equate to an increase of 4.3 per cent, or an additional £2.47 per year, for 10 years to cover the annual loan repayments.
The council will also explore whether any external grant funding is available to help reduce the amount that needs to be raised from residents.
To help people find out more about the proposals, councillors will host a series of drop-in consultation sessions at Ilkley Town Hall, where residents can view the plans and discuss funding options.
The sessions will take place on Saturday, October 24, from 10am to 1pm; Tuesday, October 27, from 4pm to 6.30pm; Tuesday, November 3, from 10.30am to 11.30am; Wednesday, November 11, from 5pm to 7.30pm; and Tuesday, November 17, from 10.30am to 11.30am.
The proposed replacement facility has been designed with a focus on accessibility, sustainability and ease of maintenance.
Plans include unisex cubicles, a larger family-friendly cubicle with a lower toilet and baby-changing facilities, improved provision for disabled users, easy-to-clean materials, and energy-efficient features such as solar panels, LED lighting and water-saving fittings.
The design also includes secure storage space, doors with timed opening and locking systems, and the retention of the existing Changing Places pod.
Residents are being encouraged to look out for the consultation survey, which is due to arrive from Monday, October 12.