West Devon Borough Council has backed down on a plan to close the public toilets in Market Street at the eleventh hour.

The toilets were to have been closed this Sunday, March 31 but will now stay open to allow time for WDBC to arrange a lease with Okehampton Town Council to operate them as toilets.

The decision comes after the town council renewed its offer to take on the toilets in the wake of WDBC’s plans to demolish the toilets and adjoining taxi rank to build a ‘retail pod’ being thrown out.

WDBC planned to invite a coffee takeaway franchise to use the site, as part of money making plans to close a gap in the council finances, which were unaninimously rejected last month by WDBC along with those for a budget hotel on a council car park in Tavistock.

Okehampton area councillors were, on Tuesday, given assurances that the toilets would stay open from WDBC leader Philip Sanders at a full council meeting of the borough council.

He said: ‘The council will offer a short-term lease to the town council to allow them to run the toilets, so yes, I can give you the assurance that here are no plans to close the toilets on March 31.’

For the full story, pick up your copy of today’s Okehampton Times.