It's a chain reaction ...

It's a chain reaction ...

Feb 25 2003
By Vicky Wilks

South London Press

A POKEY public loo perched in the bend of a road has been sold for £83,000 - a whopping £68,000 more than expected.

And a second public toilet, built partly underground on a grassy area between two blocks of flats, went for £70,000, - £50,000 more than anticipated.

The first loo, on Newport Street in Vauxhall, was put up for auction by Lambeth council with a guide price of just £15,000. But on the day of the sale, a buyer feeling decidedly flush forked out the £83,000.

The other toilet, on the corner of Wandsworth Road and Union Grove in Stockwell, had been put up for auction by the council for £20,000.

The Vauxhall toilet block was described by auctioneer Andrews & Robertson as having "potential for conversion or redevelopment to studio, storage, office or other suitable uses subject to the necessary planning consents".

Meanwhile, the south Lambeth toilet was described as having "potential for conversion to studio, community or other suitable uses subject to the necessary consents".

The toilets were the highlight of an auction day for Lambeth council which raised almost £3million through the sale of 17 properties.

The majority of the homes sold well over their guide prices and one - a three-bedroom house on Brook Drive in Kennington with an old bakehouse attached - fetched £125,000 more than its £250,000 price tag.

Lambeth's Liberal-Tory administration has come under fire for selling off the properties, of which five were said to have made ideal family homes.

Lambeth Labour's housing spokeswoman, Councillor Sharon Erdman, said: "The families waiting for these kind of properties can be stuck in overcrowded accommodation for years.

"That has a real impact on health and particularly the educational development of children.

"This seems to be a purely financial decision but we have to look at the social cost of having a lot of badly housed or homeless families."

The Liberal-Tory administration said the homes were sold because it was not worth the cost of refurbishing them, and added the proceeds would be reinvested in housing stock.

A council spokeswoman said: "We carefully examine each and every property to make a judgment as to what would be the most cost-effective way to use it - either to renovate it or sell it.

"Properties are placed for auction when it is clear this is the best way forward financially."

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