Public toilets to be in Peterborough city centre by 'end of March' promise council chiefs
Public toilets will be in place in Peterborough city centre by the end of March next year, council chiefs have vowed.
The installation of new ‘accessible’ public conveniences is part of a £1.5 million facelift planned for the retail heart of Peterborough over the next nine months.
The need for more public loos in the city centre is a recurring theme in consultations carried out by Peterborough City Council to find out what the public wants to see in Cathedral Square and the surrounding area.
The pledge was made in a council response to questions from the public on the Peterborough Telegraph’s Facebook page.
In response to Malcolm Smart who posted the question ‘if we are going to see new toilet facilities in the city, what’s the time scale?’, a council spokesperson replied: “The toilets should be installed by the end of March next year.”
Gerry Hols asked: “What will they be: porta loo type or nice ones like it Japan?”
The council spokesperson replied: “They will be modular, prefabricated accessible toilets.”
However, details have not yet been provided by the council about the number or type of toilets that will be provided or where in the city centre they will be located.
And perhaps more importantly, there have not yet been any details about whether the new toilets will be free to use.
New toilets are just one item among many that are being planned for the new-look city centre.
Other features include new market stalls, greenery, hanging baskets, which are already in place on the Guildhall, plus fun and attractive seating around the city centre.
The new facilities and attractions will be funded by a £1.5 million Pride in Place Impact Fund.grant from the government.
A council spokesperson said: “Now more detailed plans are being worked on to introduce new accessible toilets, more greenery, movable market stalls that will bring uniformity but also allow more flexibility when hosting market events, and other new features to encourage people to play and stay in the city centre around Cathedral Square and St John’s Square.
Cllr Numan Ali Iqbal, the council’s cabinet member for growth and regeneration, said: “The city centre is the beating heart of Peterborough and this funding is the latest step in our major regeneration of this area.
He told a recent meeting of the full council: “Whatever the final plans may look like, they will be implemented on site and ready for use in less than a year:
“Works are required to be completed by March 2027.”
The awareness of a shortage of toilets in the city centre was compounded in 2025 when it was announced that plans for Changing Places Toilets to be installed at Peterborough Cathedral had been scrapped due to a lack of funding.