Exmouth's Jarvis Close public toilets could become a library | Opinion

Ed: East Devon District Council is currently seeking to "creatively repurpose" some Exmouth public toilets it can't afford to run. Read more here.

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Readers will be pleased to hear that on Saturday, along with most of the Littleham councillors Cllrs Joy and Alan Whipps, Brian Bailey and Nick Hookway, I attended The Avenues Residents Association (TARA) annual general meeting.

At this meeting we heard from Cllr Hookway about tourism and culture matters through a series of slides.

I touched on the need to do something about the Jarvis Close toilet block which readers will be aware I have previously written about in August.

Just to remind our readers, Jarvis Close is in a category C toilet status which are ones which are the EDDC says it can no longer afford to run and are sites that are less used or in locations served by other facilities.

In these examples, EDDC don't believe there is a commercial alternative that could provide an income and publicly accessible toilet, or there is a desirability to sell the freehold.

Cllr Hookway talked at length about the benefits of tourism to Exmouth and everyone present agreed that what he had said showed the clear link between tourism and the resulting benefits to the town.

Cllr Hookway went on to talk about for example a library for Littleham.

I then raised the point that Jarvis Close could fit this need, as it has toilets and if EDDC allowed the car park to be provided in any sale, it would be a site that could be considered for a possible library. I am aware that Libraries Unlimited deal with this and not any council directly.

As Libraries Unlimited says, it "enables everyone to connect to and explore the wider world. We offer welcoming spaces throughout Devon and Torbay which give everyone access to books and a wealth of digital resources, as well as free computer use and WiFi connection. With hundreds of active groups and a year-round calendar of events, we encourage and support everyone to realise their potential and improve their health and wellbeing. By supporting our customers, we build communities, enriching lives with ideas, information and inspiration."

Therefore, as councillors we want to encourage and support those in our local community to realise their potential and it is clear that a library for Littleham residents might just be what is needed especially, as we now have the Plumb Park site nearly completed and have seen the most development to date in Exmouth.

We all know that for development to be a success it needs infrastructure to be put in place and if Cllr Hookway genuinely believes in a vision of a library for Littleham, it is clear that such an idea might find cross-party political support.

By going to the TARA AGM, I was able to further understand the needs of this local community and I hope that one day a library might emerge for the benefit of Littleham residents, which is what we all want.

The Jarvis Close toilet block is not an iconic building and if it can be put to good use I am sure all Littleham councillors would rally round and support such a use, as I have described to you.