Toilets feel flush with overhaul to commence

Work to refurbish one of the most famous toilet blocks in Scotland is expected to be completed by the spring.

The Bruce Embankment toilets in St Andrews, which sit just yards away from the famous Old Course, are undergoing a £285,000 overhaul that will see the installation of new conveniences fit for the 21st Century and a special changing places unit that can be used by profoundly disabled children and adults.

The investment will also include a tourism information point, with interactive technology promoting tourism in St Andrews and the local area.

The project has been funded by Fife Council, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, St Andrews Community Trust, the Kinburn Trust, the Hamish Foundation, St Andrews Common Good and the Buist Bequest.

Internal works are expected to be completed by the end of March, which will enable the toilets to reopen to the public.

After almost two years of planning and fundraising the St Andrews Town Groups, an umbrella organisation, bringing together organisations in St Andrews to work on joint projects, were able to launch refurbishment works on the site.

It is the first project delivered by the group, which is chaired by Willie Rennie MSP.

Debbie MacCallum, from Tourism St Andrews, was instrumental in bringing Beach Wheelchairs to the town and is delighted to see the inclusion of the Changing Places facility.

“Most other towns have even more than one, yet St Andrews which has thousands of visitors every year cannot offer accessible changing for disabled people and those with additional needs.”

It is hoped the toilets will be up and running next month, as the adjacent car park is used by bus and tour companies to drop off thousands of tourists wishing to explore St Andrews and of course the Old Course each year.

The toilet block work forms wider plans for the prominent area, with another project to create a golf-inspired artwork at the Bruce Embankment also progressing.

Those behind that proposal suggest the colourful mural will brighten up the landscape and be a focal point for people posting pictures on social media.