Shoppers caught short at Marshalls

The Beaumont Street facility, which opened on Good Friday, currently has no public toilet facilities on site.

Anyone needing the WC faces a walk to Tesco or the toilets at Roseway Car Park until more facilities open at Marshall's Yard in May.

And shoppers told the Standard this week that having no toilets on site was "totally unacceptable".

Valerie May, from Misterton, said: "Marshall's Yard is lovely but having no toilet facilities is terrible if they expect people to be shopping here all day. I asked staff and other shoppers as I thought I might have just missed them, but they said the nearest public toilets were at Tesco.

"Mothers with small children or anyone with a disability can not be expected to go all that way, it may put people off coming altogether."

Jenny Sellars, of Saxilby, who has a four-month-old daughter called Emily, added: "I'm quite surprised not to see any toilet signs around Marshall's Yard. "You would have thought baby changing facilities would have been the first thought in the developers minds to build. Going off site to go to the toilet or change a baby is totally unacceptable in my eyes."

More than 6,000 people flocked to see the shopping centre when it opened it's doors over the Easter weekend.

Shoppers took in the complex's first phase, which saw Halfords, The Works, New Look, Next, Brantano, Claire's Accessories, M&S Simply Food open for business.

And over the coming weeks further retailers will open on site - Birthdays, Carphone Warehouse, Holland and Barratt, Julian Graves, Ponden Mill, Greggs, Specsavers as well as Stanley Hunt Jewellers and Stringers Hairdressing.

JJB Sports and Wilkinsons will open in July. Three units remain vacant.

But shoppers will have to wait until May 5 to use a public toilet, when Costa Coffee opens its doors.

However, Mark Dransfield, managing director of site developers Dransfield Properties, said there was little to fault the 39m retail park.

"This is the only thing people have been able to fault Marshall's Yard for," he said.

"The site has beautiful architecture, a 1m peace garden with fountains and has brought major retailers to the area."

"Costa Coffee opens on May 5 and everyone will be welcome to use the toilet facilities there. Also the council offices opening in September will have a baby changing room and JJB Sports will have toilet and shower facilities.

"Until then Tesco and a nearby car park have public toilets within walking distance."

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