A plan to convert Hereford public toilets into three homeless sleeping “pods” has been dropped after it was branded exploitative of vulnerable people.
The six loos, accessed individually from East Street near the junction with Broad Street, have been closed for several years, having previously been plagued by anti-social behaviour.
Herefordshire Council applied to itself for planning permission in April to convert them into three separate bed/living rooms, each with a WC and shower.
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The council’s housing development officer Tina Wood said these would “be used as temporary transitional housing for rough sleepers/homeless individuals, whilst they are being assessed for more appropriate accommodation”.
“The sleeper pods will provide improved quality of life,” she added. “They will be well insulated and soundproofed.”
But Hereford Civic Society said what was planned was effectively a new building, for which no details of soundproofing measures had been submitted.
“We cannot see how the remodelling of the isolated, minimally-sized and non-communally based building can be called ‘appropriate housing’, nor how support services can be enabled for any occupant,” the group wrote.
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City councillors said they shared these concerns and felt the scheme would provide “cramped and poor-quality accommodation”.
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And Hereford resident Lynne Bowers called the proposal “utterly exploitative”, saying its “vulnerable” intended residents would be “a target for the criminal fraternity embedded in Herefordshire”.
Herefordshire Council planners confirmed the scheme had been withdrawn.
The council has already withdrawn a plan to repurpose public toilets in Union Street, beside St Peter’s Church as homeless accommodation, following similar criticisms.
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