A40 toilet blocks at Forest Hill to be demolished

Toilet blocks on the A40 dual carriageway at Forest Hill, which have become persistent targets for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, will be demolished next month.

Demolition work for the two blocks, located in the laybys on the north and southbound A40 corridor between Headington and Wheatley, is due to begin on 9 January 2023 and is expected to last two weeks.

They are being demolished due to ongoing health and safety concerns about the site, antisocial behaviour, damage, and vandalism. The cost to Oxfordshire County Council to maintain and repair the facilities is more than £60,000 a year.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “Although some members of the local community will be disappointed to lose these facilities, we have no option but to reluctantly demolish these crumbling and out of date buildings that have become a magnet for criminal and antisocial activity.

“Facilities like these are important, especially to the haulage industry, and we would ask the government to look at giving local authorities the support we need to ensure Oxfordshire has suitable infrastructure for HGVs and their drivers.”

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