VISITORS alighting from coaches in a North Yorkshire town will now be greeted by a smart and modern new toilet block and improved car parking area.

Guisborough’s new toilet block replaces a rather run-down, existing facility and will provide users with a better functioning, more aesthetically pleasing place to freshen up – which, it is anticipated, will help boost tourist numbers and increase local trade in the town.

£250,000 from the ‘Welcome To’ pot, funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, has been invested in the Fountain Street project, as the car park is a key drop-off point for coach tourists - meaning the new facilities and surrounding area provide the first impression of the town to many people.

The Northern Echo: The smart new toilet block and public space for Guisborough tourists and residents

Improvements to the area surrounding the toilet block and the car park itself have been carried out by the Council’s own Highways Construction team, with the Works Management team providing the internal fit-out of the toilets.

Externally, a large new information board produced by Teesside firm, ScreenTech, has been erected; plus, a contemporary York paving system and new seating area for the neighbouring kiosk have been installed, along with new bollards, benches and modern planters, supplied by another Teesside firm, Logic Bespoke.

The Northern Echo: The smart new toilet block and public space for Guisborough tourists and residents

The project is now 90 per cent complete but the toilets and car park are open for use as usual.

Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Cllr Wayne Davies, said: “This was an area growth plan project that the Council wanted to take forward and has been funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s ‘Welcome To’ grant.  
“The toilet block and surrounding area were in need of a major uplift – the area is the first point many visitors see of Guisborough, so it’s vital from a tourism development perspective that a positive first impression of the town is given, not to mention providing improved facilities for residents who use the car and coach park too. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback already.”

 

The Northern Echo: The smart new toilet block and public space for Guisborough tourists and residents