Sheffield public toilets: City centre's first new public loos in years - and what they will cost to use

Officials have provided an update on the scheme, and our pictures show that builders have now dug the trench into which piping and cables will be fitted to allow water and power to get to the new building on Rockingham Street, which is being created as part of the Pounds Park scheme.

Workmen can currently be seen going in and out of the building as work is carried out to get them up and running by the end of the month. There are doors for access both on the Rockingham Street side of the building, and on the park side.

And today, Sheffield Council has provided an important update on the scheme by confirming that there will be no charge to use the loos. “I can confirm the toilets will be free of charge,” said a spokesman.

Pound’s Park was closed on Monday, May 15 for two weeks while the finishing touches are completed, and the toilets will be up and running when it re-opens, which is expected to be on Monday, May 29.

The lack of public toilets in Sheffield has been an issue that has been frequently raised by the public in recent years. At present, there are working public toilets in The Moor Market, which opened in 2013 and in the Millennium galleries, both within public buildings.

The new toilets will be the first stand alone structures in recent memory.

At one stage in the past, there were public toilets situated below Sheffield Town Hall, but they were closed down many years ago. Among the reasons for the closure, it is understood, were accessibility issues for a facility that involved the use of many steps. The gents’ loos under the town hall were closed and redeveloped as a bar. But the ladies, although closed at the same time, still remain largely as they were.

There were also at one point public toilets in Orchard Square. They were also closed several years ago. Portable lavatories were also placed on Pinstone Street at one stage, but there were complaints about their appearance.