The new public toilets in Longforth Road will not be open in time for Saturday’s Wellington Carnival.
The original block was badly damaged after a road accident in December, 2022, and was later demolished.
The new toilets were delivered and lifted into place in July but are still not available for use.
Wellington Town Council says it is providing portable toilets for carnival night.
TOWN COUNCIL STATEMENT
The opening of the new public toilet block in Longforth Road has been delayed as Danfo, the contractor responsible for building and installing the unit, has failed to resolve all outstanding defects identified immediately after installation.
The unit was installed on 26 July 2026 and was due to open by 11 August. However, more than 80 issues were identified following installation, including concerns about accessibility, fire-prevention measures, ventilation, the canopy and final cleaning.
Although Danfo has addressed many of these, several remain unresolved ahead of the Carnival and the Council will not accept handover of the unit until all outstanding issues have been resolved. Portable toilets will be provided for the event.
A Council spokesperson said: “Danfo was appointed on the basis of cost and its experience of successfully delivering similar projects across the country. We are extremely disappointed that the facility cannot open as planned. We have applied the contractual provisions available to us to prevent the delay from increasing the overall project cost, intend to recover the cost of hiring the portable toilets from Danfo, and are taking legal advice on potential further action.”
BVLR, which has overseen the build, will complete the remaining work before the block is inspected again. Subject to a satisfactory inspection, the Council aims to open the facility by 2 October 2026 and apologises for the inconvenience caused.
DANFO (UK) LTD STATEMENT
Danfo was saddened and disappointed to read Wellington Town Council’s public statement released on social media.
As an appointed subcontractor, Danfo has been working closely with our client and primary contractor, BVLR and other layers of appointed support partners to deliver this project on time and on budget. It is certainly fair to say that every construction project can have its unique periodic challenges that must be professionally navigated, we, our client and our partners take our responsibilities in this regard and on this specific project very seriously and are committed to working closely together in meeting our common objectives and obligations.
Unfortunately, we do not recognise the full validity regarding some of the alleged contractual breaches, delivery issues and challenges referenced in the council’s statement but attempt to fully understand that all context and factual detail relating to responsibility and events may not have been known to them. We are also further disappointed that the Council chose not raise or clarify these concerns with Danfo the primary contractor before publishing its statement.
Nothing is more satisfying to our teams than to see another of our facilities utilized and enjoyed by the public it was designed to serve.
Danfo has successfully delivered countless similar inclusive facilities for councils across the UK and Ireland as such, we would like to take this opportunity to assure all readers that top priority for us is to see this facility open and adding value for residents as soon as possible, we would warmly invite the Council to meet with us and our client to discuss this matter, ensure full understanding and find a positive conclusion for all parties concerned.