WORK to demolish the George Yard toilets started as snow began to fall on Thursday last week.

After six months of debate and campaigning over the plans to bulldoze the block submitted by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) in October, the work is now expected to take two to three weeks to complete.

Vocal opposition tried to block the move and a petition to save the toilets collected more than 5,000 signatures, however Test Valley Borough Council’s cabinet approved the plan on 14 February on the grounds it was a risk to public and staff safety due to persistent drug abuse.

Construction workers were seen taking slates off the roof and dismantling the block during Thursday and Friday last week.

Now attention has turned to the workings of the community toilet scheme which has been recognised as needing to do more for disabled users, with the borough council announcing on 23 February a changing places facility for disabled people will be available at the new Andover Leisure Centre.

In a separate development, the Chantry Centre has confirmed it is looking to install automated doors for its two disabled toilets.

Centre manager Steve Cotney said: “We are looking into automated doors at the request of a disabled customer. She has raised the issue she struggles with the doors and we immediately acted and begun looking into this.”

The George Yard toilets debate also raised the question at last month’s TVBC full council meeting over the council’s system of public consultation.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Peter Hurst said: “There are three projects now that appear to have failed on public consultation. The leisure centre contract, the toilets and Romsey market place. Three to me starts to suggest there is something systematically wrong with public consultation.

“From my point of view it is obvious when the public should have got involved. ButPeople don’t live and breathe this stuff if you are not informing them. I do think we need to look at public consultation, we now have three failures on our hands, why out of three projects like this have we failed on public consultation?”

Opponents of the demolition plans previously raised concerns that TVBC submitted a planning application for removing the block before giving the public an opportunity to object to the closure.

TVBC however have said they received no complaints when the toilets were officially closed last summer.

A borough council spokesperson said: “The council is committed to involving the public and seeking their views on a whole range of issues. In relation to the Community Toilet Scheme – that is exactly why there was a one-year pilot scheme, and the feedback from that was positive.

“With Romsey Town Centre there was also extensive public consultation on the enhancements.

“Other examples include the recent – and future – public consultation on Town Mills and our stated commitment to hear from the public regarding the proposed Andover Cultural Quarter.”