Location for Peterborough changing places toilet still unconfirmed a year after funding approved

A year after Peterborough was awarded thousands of pounds for a Changing Places toilet, a location for the new facility has yet to be decided.

Peterborough received £80,000 in March 2022 for two new Changing Places toilets – which are larger toilet facilities which include an adult size changing mat and a hoist designed to help disabled visitors.

One of the new toilets will be placed at Ferry Meadows in the welcome area at the park, with plans to open it in the autumn this year.

But a location for the Changing Places toilets in the city centre has yet to be confirmed.

Actress and disability rights campaigner Julie Fernandez said disabled shoppers would continue to take their money elsewhere in the country if more wasn’t done to make it a welcoming place.

She said: “Shopping in the city for a lot of disabled Peterborians isn’t the first choice, because of the lack of disabled toilets, because it is so cold in Queensgate – we do have disabled parking bays, but we could do with having some more in more strategic locations.”It shouldn’t be taking this long to find a location for the Changing Places toilets.

"At the moment, the only ones in Peterborough are at Car Haven car park. If you are in Queensgate, it is a very long trek to get there.”

Initial plans released by the city council when the funding was announced suggested plans were to put the toilets in St Peters Arcade off Bridge Street.

But Julie said: “That would be too close to the Car Haven toilets. Ideally they would be in Queensgate. We just don’t want the council to waste the money.

"People will vote with their feet and their wheels unless it is made more welcoming.”

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “We are currently exploring how the Changing Places funding can be used to provide additional accessible toilets in the city centre. We have met with a provider and are now reviewing what can be provided with the funding that we have available.”