Community Centre Toilets, Kingsland Church Colchester

This is a project to replace toilets as part of the development of a community centre in the empty ground floor shop beneath the centre. The current ground floor facilities are only suitable for the former shop’s small staff team (not the public). The centre needs to provide accessible facilities for general large-scale use as part of the community centre. The enlarged facilities will include three cubicles with sinks, a larger wheelchair accessible toilet with sink and a baby change cubicle. There will be separate access to a further cubicle for staff and volunteers.

The centre has been told that to attract the public to the facilities it needs car parking, a good entrance and great toilets. The first it has, the second is being worked on and this will provide the third. These facilities will attract the public to use the community cafe, and dozens of charitable and social groups will be able to use the rooms in the rest of the downstairs development. It is expected that the number of groups using the facility each week will grow by at least 50% with a commensurate benefit to the emotional, physical and mental wellbeing of the public. The elderly, young families, lonely and the disabled are significant centre users. Here they find practical help, emotional support, increasing their resilience and wellbeing.