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£7m station won't have toilets

Coun Peter Wood is asking for public toilets to be installed at Sunderland station.
Passengers may be getting £7million spent on their station – but they still can't spend a penny.

Transport chiefs say they will not be installing public toilets at Sunderland station, despite pumping millions into a revamp of its platform areas.

Transport executive Nexus, which is footing the bill, says there is simply no room.

But Tory transport spokesman Peter Wood said the lack of public conveniences would be a real inconvenience for passengers – and installing toilets should have been thought about earlier.

"A station the size of Sunderland should have public toilets. Other stations, such as Durham and Newcastle, have them" he said.

"It's an inconvenience for passengers. It's clearly not convenient for them to pop over to the library to use the toilets there.

"There are toilets on the trains, but not on the Metro – and that is what accounts for most of the passengers using the station."

Bernard Garner, director general of Nexus, said the £7million improvement programme was only to revamp the underground part of the station and there is no room to spare for toilets.

But he said there were plans afoot to install lavatories as part of an above-ground development in the future.

"The buildings at platform level are already fully used as a police station and staff facilities, so unfortunately there was no opportunity to install customer toilets as part of the Nexus refurbishment of this area now taking place," said Mr Garner.

"We are part of a steering group led by Sunderland City Council and including Sunderland station's owner Network Rail and other rail operators which is drawing up plans for the development of the main concourse.

"This group is looking at how customer toilets could be provided at street level, alongside amenities such as travel shops, food and other retail outlets.

Coun Wood responded by saying: "There haven't been any toilets in the station for a number of years and it seems to me we had the opportunity to put that right."

16 February 2010 9:35 AM Source: Sunderland Echo