Machynlleth’s long-awaited public toilets are soon to be reopened as the council has nailed down the details.

After community uproar over the closure of the toilets, the town council secured a £60,000 grant to renovate the vandal-blighted toilets in Hoel Maengwyn car park.

Thanks to this, the toilets are soon to reopen, set with vandal-proof stainless steel toilets and washbasins.

On 2 December the town council finance committee met to “discuss and agree a way of reopening the toilets”, concluding with a recommended business plan.

Their recommendations will be given to the town council to approve at the next full council meeting on 16 December.

Once the contract for the cleaning services is approved and set up, the toilets can be officially reopened.

New LED and motion-activated lights will reduce the electricity bill by 75 per cent according to the electrician, and combined with electronically controlled washbasins and a new water system, councillors estimate the toilets will now cost significantly less to run than in previous years.

They estimate the running of the toilets will cost £15,000 annually.

The finance committee recommendations included using a third of the £10,000 set aside for toilet costs this year to help pay for costs up until the next financial year in April 2025.

They recommend using what is left of the £10,000 to be rolled over to the next 2025/26 financial year, allowing the council to support the toilets whilst not costing the taxpayer any more money.

Though the toilets don’t yet have payment gates, a grant application is in progress to gain funding to install some.

The leftover costs will be raised through donations via QR codes and donation boxes installed in the toilets, a fundraising event, donation boxes scattered around the town, and sponsorship from local businesses.