A DERELICT block of public toilets in Bridport could be demolished and rebuilt along with three new homes.

If approved, a planning application submitted by Caroline Parkins of Leakers Bakery could see the public toilets in East Street car park replaced with three houses and a new, smaller toilet block.

The design and access statement argues that ‘having been closed for many months before sale, significant work was found to be required to bring the facilities up to the standard expected by today’s users’.

Mrs Parkins said in her statement: “In order to finance the rebuilding of the toilets and provide funding for their future, it is proposed to build two two-bedroom houses and one one-bedroom house on the site.

“It had never been my object to be a property developer. My object was, and remains, to rebuild the toilets so that they may be a community asset for the town of Bridport.”

As part of the proposals, the houses would front on to King Street between the Lord Nelson and 9 King Street with a path between the pub and new houses.

The new block of three toilets would be situated to the left of the rear gardens of the houses, in the corner of the plot facing the car park.

Mrs Parkins added: “It was initially hoped that all three houses in this scheme could be sold at 80 per cent of the market value, but it is unlikely that the costs will add up.

“It is my hope that there will be enough ‘change’ from the sale, after building costs are deducted, to allow for an endowment to be settled on the toilets to enable their running and maintenance to be taken over by Bridport Town Council.”

The plans also set out the new opening hours of the toilet block, which would open from 8am-8pm every day and would be serviced by one part-time employee.

Mrs Parkins bought the toilet block from West Dorset District Council in 2013 for £100,000, exceeding their £30,000 guide price and outbidding would-be property developers to secure them for the town.

West Dorset District council said it updated the application details as the block ‘is adjacent to a number of listed buildings and affects the setting’.

To view and comment on the proposals, visit dorsetforyou.com/planning/applications/search.