New Councilors Needed Urgently

Why doesn't someone apply some lateral thinking and open a Gay Club/Centre where homosexual men can frequent and meet those of their own persuasion?

Surely that would then "free up" the public conveniences for their intended use i.e for pooing and peeing, no doubt in Torbay as in most other towns and cities (London included) public facilities for going to the toilet are far too limited and often in disgusting conditions.

It beggars belief that in this supposedly enlightened day and age there are those who still try to pretend that there are not sexual differences (or deviances if you prefer) that need to be catered for so that they are not carried out in places that are highly uncomfortable and unsuitable often to the embarrasment of all concerned.

Let's be honest here and admit that there have always been public conveniences where it is well known one would find gay men lurking about. If I wanted to pick up a young girl in my youth I would go to the pub or a nightclub, if I had been gay there would have been nowhere to go but the Courtenay Park bogs in NA.

Because people don't happen to need a shit on a particular day doesn't mean they should deny those who do, somewhere to have one........................so neither should those of a "straight" persuasion deny those of other preferences.

So for all the fancy plans for an "eatery" on The Downs, where am I going to go for a crap when I come down and visit?

Merse if you are a local then you do we what we do when we decided to go anywhere in the Bay and that is make sure you do not get caught short. If you are a visitor then you hope the pub landlord or café owner will allow you to use their toilets.

I remember 30 years ago hearing about a gay club in Warren Road, was it called the Double Two club? Not sure if it is still there, but as Phil says there are places that are classed as gay clubs etc operating in the Bay. The gay pride group held a large event here in the summer and while they were aware of a few objections, they said on the whole they were well received and had a good time here.

Listen, I’m called Roach, I swim like a brick, hate the taste of fish and don’t eat them, I also don’t go fishing, why would I want to catch my cousins on some rusty old hook. So a new fish restaurant is not going to be a place I will be looking to eat at, but if nothing is done with the site, it just stays there and rots, like so many other now disused sites around the Bay.

I was talking to a lady at Travis Perkins in Barnstaple only last week about the problem men have and ladies don’t, when we use public toilets. I had to wait by her desk as she had not got the paperwork ready that I needed to take a warranty Bosch drill repair back to Toolfix.

The conversation started as she said that Pat (works at Toolfix) had told her on the phone one day, that I had been an entertainer, so the conversation then moved onto jethro. This then moved on to shows we had been too as Barnstaple has a theatre as does the Bay.

She told me she had gone to a Julian Clary show and was a bit disappointed with it, as it was just really a show for gay men and she felt as a straight lady it was not what she was expecting. Having only seen him on the TV I would expect his show to be very campish, but not just an out and out gay show.

This then lead me onto talking about the toilets in a lay-by between Bideford and Barnstaple, they are on the main road and you drive down a slip road to get to them and until recently they were not viewable from the main road, due to high trees and bushes. These have now been cut down to the ground and the whole site can now been seen from the road.

There used to be a snack wagon down there, but that has been gone for a few years now and that may have been the reason when it stopped operating there, the toilets became a gay haunt during the day as well as probably the night time. Being on the road all day does pose a few problems and needing to use a toilet every now and then is one of them, as these days so many public toilets have been closed down.

On the J.Vine show a few months ago they talked about lorry drivers who carried an empty bottle to have a pee in and then how they would throw them once filled out of the window. I find this rather disgusting and not something I would do. I’m a bit lucky in some respects as while I have the forum saved in my favourites on some customers PC’s, there are some companies I can just walk into their restrooms without the need to ask, to use the toilet.

But I still need to use some public ones and I soon learned the ones that I felt were not only safer, but gay free as all I want to do is have a quick pee in peace and get back on the road again.

On a Tuesday and Friday I always use the one in Holsworthy near the church, the time I get there the man is always cleaning them and I do feel a bit guilty at times, walking over his freshly mopped floor.

But there were a few times I maybe did not use them and went into the ones in the lay-by I mentioned, but after a few times using them I started to notice not only the same cars parked there, but a routine that I feel very uncomfortable with.

As soon as you walked into the empty toilet block you would hear the large heavy wooden door open and then slam shut and a man join you and get his thing out. Well I know that’s what you would think he should be doing; only he never really had a wee.

One day a bit fed up with this, I decided to use a cubicle and as soon as I locked the door I heard the outside door open and then close. I waited for a while expecting him to leave again, but it was clear he was not going to do that.

I opened the cubicle door and there he was with it in his hands and pointing it my way, I quickly made my way to the outside door and once I had it opened shouted back to him “you should put that thing away mate it will catch a cold”

I really get rather annoyed that we men have to be subjected to these sorts of things and as I say woman do not have the same problems when they use a public toilet. I have in my time spend some time with a gay man who was very openly gay and really campish but I have always found such men to be fun to be with and no threat to me at all.

I feel that the toilet hangers around, cause many people to have anti gay feelings and I wonder why it’s only gay men who do it and not gay woman.

Merse I had a run in with a warden near the old market hall in Bideford, I needed a wee so badly and parked on the a single yellow line. I got out and I was told to move it or get a ticket, he went on to say if you had stopped to unload then I would have given you some time.

I explained I just needed to use the loo and would only be a few minutes and joked with him it was a sort of unloading surely? He said he did not care and was going put a ticket on my van if I did not move it right away.

I told him to do so then and that I would take my appeal to the very highest level I might need, until I got the ticket rescinded.I explained to him that once I made my case that it was not safe for me to drive when I was busting to have a pee and that my mind would not have been able to concentrate just on my driving and as a result I was a potential danger to other road users, it would be over turned.

I left him to think about and just carried on into the public toilet, when I was done I came out and saw him walking up the hill and there was no parking ticket on my van.

Sometimes just a little bit of common sense is needed, but then that mostly has gone out of the window these days as everyone of these people operate a zero tolerance policy that sticks to the letter of the law and allows no give and take what so ever.

I hope they're gonna give it a good clean before they start selling fish! Mind you fish stinks a bit anyway so it may well out-smell the no1 and 2 odours that remain!

Sounds a good plan thats been put forward to me and should hopefully improve the area for the better. Mind you, with all the muppets you usually see at planning meetings etc lets just hope it doesnt get bogged down!

Talking of fish! This bloke goes into a fish shop and says '' You know that sign on your wall, that says FRESH FISH SOLD HERE?'' ''Yes?'' says the owner. ''Well!'' The man goes on. ''Are you selling stale fish?'' ''Course we're bloody not!'' retorts the owner. ''Well why dont you just have a sign saying FISH SOLD HERE!'' says the man. ''Cuts down on space used, and you can use that for something else on your wall!'' ''Good idea'' says the owner. He promptly goes out and saws off a bit of the sign leaving FISH SOLD HERE.

The next day the same man comes into the shop and says to the owner ''You know that sign outside that says FISH SOLD HERE?'' ''Yes'', replies the owner. ''Well, are you selling it anywhere else?'' ''No!'' replies the owner. ''Well why dont you just have a sign that says FISH SOLD?'' says the man. ''Good idea!'' replies the owner, and he promptly goes out and cuts off the other end of the sign leaving FISH SOLD.

The next day, the same man comes in once again. ''You know that sign outside that says FISH SOLD?'' says the man. ''Yes!'' responds the owner. ''Well are you giving fish away?'' asks the man. ''Of course we're bloody not!'' retorts the indignant shopkeeper,''we're a sodding business, we cant afford to give fish away for nothing!'' ''Well then, why bother with the word SOLD on the sign?'' says the customer. ''Okay'' says the owner, who then goes outside with his saw once again and cuts off the word SOLD. ''There says the man, FISH, thats all you need; says it all doesn't it?'' ''Absolutely!'' replies the owner. ''and think of the space you've saved!'' says the man, and leaves the shop.

The next day, the man comes back again. ''What the bloody hell do you want today?'' asks the angry owner. ''Well, its just that sign outside'' says the man. ''What about it?'' responds the owner. ''I dont know why you bother!'' the man replies ''You can smell the bloody stuff a mile away!'' ;D

....classic

Great assist too aussie!

I sure got this thread title correct, as it has now been called and its the same old Lib Dem's who fully supported and set the NCP wardens lose on Torbay and they badly damaged our tourist trade here.

Here we have plans that the people of Torbay fully support, but then when did any councilors ever want to listen to those who pay their wages. So we just let another part of our Bay rot away do we, makes me mad as not one of those kicking up a stink, have done anything worthwhile for the Bay

Here is the piece in todays Herald


A GROUP of Torbay councillors have launched an official protest over plans for a £400,000 restaurant on the site of the Babbacombe Downs toilets.

The four Lib-Dem councillors and an Independent have 'called in' Torbay mayor Nick Bye's cabinet decision to grant restaurateur Nigel Bloxham development rights for the site, currently occupied by Victorian toilets.

Mr Bloxham's plans propose converting the public toilets into an ultra-modern fish restaurant, to be designed by Brixham architect Stan Bolt.

The building will include a glass pavilion at ground level, with a 65-seat restaurant on a lower ground floor level at the cliff top.

The call-in means the matter cannot proceed until the mayor's decision has been examined by a special meeting of the council's overview and scrutiny board.

Councillors who called in the decision are Alan Faulkner, Steve Darling, Julien Parrott, Ruth Pentney and Colin Charlwood.

Cllr Pentney said: "I'm not calling it in on planning grounds. I just think that the mayor made a decision without being fully aware of the facts."

A group statement, which lists the reasons for the call-in, said the five councillors believed there had been a lack of consultation with the community partnership, retailers, hoteliers and residents, despite detailed plans being worked up over 18 months.

The statement claimed: "Babbacombe Downs is an area of outstanding beauty, which many residents and tourists value.

"Its picturesque views will be spoilt forever by this proposal and may put off tourists from visiting again.

"The ward councillor has been advised that there is nowhere on Babbacombe Downs for the memorial benches which will be removed to go.

"The mayor claimed at the cabinet meeting that plans have not yet been drawn up, but that is not the case. The mayor was not aware of all the facts.

"The reason given for this project is that 'the council is seeking to deliver improved value for money by reducing the revenue cost of public toilet provision'.

"However, 'the revenue saving that would be derived from the transfer of this individual asset would not necessarily result in a direct and proportionate reduction'.

"So if there is no real cost saving to the council, what is the reason for this project?"

Mr Bloxham has said there will still be viewing platforms at the restaurant, giving the same-sized public area as is currently there, and about 20 staff would be employed in the restaurant.

State-of-the-art toilets, available all year round, would replace the Victorian facilities.

Cllr Faulkner claimed: "The mayor's decision to allow development on Babbacombe Downs lets the genie out of the bottle. Once this development is allowed to take place, then more will follow."

Cllr Chris Lewis, Torbay's deputy mayor, said: "Everyone knew this call-in would happen. But we're happy everything's been done as it should be.

"In terms of publicity, the Herald Express has covered the issue over the past year, and we've contacted local councillors and the community partnership.

"If the community partnership wanted to call a special meeting they could have done.

"It's at a very early stage right now. It'll next go to planning, and the due consultation process will take place."

The matter will be discussed on December 18.