The future of the public toilets in Gellings Avenue, Port St Mary, is still being considered by the local authority.

Several weeks ago the authority canvassed public opinion on what they should do with the rundown toilet block.

The toilets in the West Room entrance of the town hall are available for public use during office hours with plans to open them seven days a week. And when they are the Gellings Avenue toilets will be closed.

There were four responses to its appeal for feedback. One supported closure and three wanted them saved.

One wrote the toilets should remain there and be refurbished, saying: ’They are well situated in the centre of the port and with sewerage and plumbing already in place, this would be cost effective.’

They added: ’Due to an accident in 2013 I became acutely aware that the only public toilets in Port St Mary where disabled parking was easily available, was on Alfred pier. At present the toilets along with the Mariners shelter are locked, with limited access available to boat owners.

’Whilst we don’t have a castle or a café on Port St Mary breakwater I feel we are, as a fishing port, comparable to Peel. Therefore these facilities should be open to the public.’

Another pointed out people with ’hidden disabilities such as Crohn’s and colitis, IBS or incontinence’ need public toilets.

’A family with one of the above conditions with urgent needs who is in the village shopping centre would find it very difficult to reach the town hall toilet with urgency.’

They added: ’There is no doubt that the building and facilities are rundown but there would not seem to have been the general ongoing care and maintenance that Port St Mary usually provides throughout the village.’

They suggested reducing the existing facilities to two toilets with an improved hand washing area and possibly a baby changing area to lower long-term maintenance costs.

At a recent meeting, commissioners’ chairman Michelle Haywood said: ’The roof is falling down, there is no electricity, everything needs refitting.’

’It would cost £10,000 to get electricity there, it’s like a black hole in there. I’m not sure about the valuation of the site (£90,000). Solar power was not sufficient and the roof is not strong enough to take it. It would cost around £25,000 altogether (to renovate) with plumbing.’

She said in Port Erin, toilets at the harbour that belonged to the Department of Infrastructure had been handed to the local authority to run and were open for longer. She asked whether they could do the same with the toilets at Port St Mary harbour.

Alec Merchant said: ’The layout (of the villages) is different.’

Bernadette Williams said: ’There is not much difference in distance (between the shops and Gellings Avenue compared to the town hall).’ .

Laurence Vaughan-Williams said: ’You need to be desperate to use them in their present condition. I’m in support of public toilets, but we have to have a good one. We should get a quote for their demolition and reconstruction.’

Dr Haywood added: ’You can get a toilet pod, it could be more cost effective and could go there or at Happy Valley.’

They agreed to get costings on different options such as demolition and valuations of the site.