Britain is in the midst of a public toilet crisis. Roderick Bates makes the case for making toilets plentiful – and beautiful again

Toilet trouble: The case for making bogs beautiful

Walking a city is one of life’s pleasures, but how often after a well caffeinated start to the day do you find yourself far from home or your hotel, wondering where is the nearest bathroom?

London is no exception to this urban predicament. Since 2000, 40 per cent of public toilets in Britain have closed due to the high cost of maintenance. For those that are open, relief comes at a cost, with 91.3 per cent of citizens noting the city’s public toilets as offering a less than pleasant experience, according to London Assembly Health Committee.

Fortunately, London isn’t letting the situation build, responding with the ingenuity you would expect of a city that has somehow fused a modern global financial centre with an almost wilfully indecipherable street plan.

Signs of progress are coming in the form of a very creative solution. Over the past year, two public toilets in Maida Hill and Woolwich were successfully rebuilt, pairing contemporary interventions with heritage........

© City A.M.