City councillors voted on Monday night to approve the administration’s budget and medium-term plan, which will see the Central Car Park toilets and underground facilities in Market Place shut in the 2025-26 financial year to save £100,000 annually.
The car park toilets are in a recently redecorated building owned by Wiltshire Council, and the underground Market Place loos are in poor condition.
The Market Tavern, which serves Nole pizzas (Image: Newsquest)
Pub landlords say the closures are a “bad decision” that will make hospitality venues “bear the brunt” of the provision of public toilets in the area.
The city council says this is not the case, but businesses could choose to join a proposed Spend A Penny scheme to bring shoppers through their doors.
Carl Furber, 44, manager of The Market Tavern pub, attended the full council meeting and read out a statement on behalf of Salisbury Pubwatch and the Chickpea Group, a hospitality business that runs several pubs and the Nole sourdough pizza venture.
Mr Furber, who lives in the city centre, said: “When Chickpea opened Nole in late 2020, the attitude of Salisbury City Council was generally positive.
“We felt encouraged by the council’s approach to decision-making, viewing proposals positively unless there was a strong reason against them.
“In the last year, this approach to decision making has changed, creating a negative environment for businesses, stifling entrepreneurship and creativity in the city and making things harder for businesses in already tricky times.”
Letter: Toilets are ‘essential service’ and closure ‘would be detrimental to city’
Letter: ‘I’d like to clear up misconceptions about proposed toilet closures’
Mr Furber claimed Market Square businesses have been ‘banned’ from extending their outside seating and putting up temporary structures.
In June, The Market Tavern was told to take down an outdoor safari tent, but that order was made by Wiltshire Council rather than Salisbury.
Mr Furber told councillors that venues have faced ‘harsh fines’ for forgetting to move their outside seating for cleaning, “even though this rarely takes place when it is scheduled”.
“Compounding this further was the introduction of the Snow Bar, an SCC-supported venture that directly competes with permanent tenants and is able to operate under more favourable terms,” said Mr Furber.
“To now expect hospitality and retail venues to bear the brunt of the provision of public loos is yet another example of a poor decision that leads to poor visitor experience and unnecessary pressure on its permanent Market Square tenants.”
The Snow Bar was open between November 15 and January 5 (Image: Spencer Mulholland Photography) Another public speaker, who attended a Pubwatch meeting the previous night, said businesses were “unaware” of the proposals to close the conveniences.
City council CEO Asa Thorpe has responded to their claims.
He said the council has “no problem” with speaking to businesses about extending the trading areas they pay to use and has already issued advice to business owners about the structures they are permitted to place on the Market Square.
Events such as the Snow Bar, he said, are run to provide “something different” to visitors and residents and complement local businesses.
The money they raise is reinvested in council services.
Mr Thorpe added: “Cleaning of the square takes place every month. Fines were brought in for those traders who did not comply with agreed rules.
“To date, two fines have been issued. Tables and chairs are now moved so that all the grime can be cleaned away each month.
“No one is expecting businesses to bear the brunt of the Market Square toilets closing to the public.
“We’d like to see if anyone would want to be a part of a ‘Spend A Penny’ scheme where we financially supported those businesses who wanted to see this as an opportunity to drive more customers into their businesses.
“In addition, the council has committed to reviewing signage and coming back with plans for other options.”
Pubs in Salisbury’s Market Square (Image: Newsquest) At the meeting, councillor Annie Riddle, the administration’s independent group leader, said: “I don’t think there needs be undue pressure on the proprietors of any one establishment.
“They won’t be inundated with a queue of people crossing their legs. I think they could cope with it if the right scheme was drawn up.”
She also said the council could hire Portaloos for major events in the square.