Go potty: disused public toilets in West Norwood and Isle of Dogs at auction for over £100k

The former public toilets on Manchester Road are for sale with a guide price of £110,000 - (Savills)

Could this be the ultimate pipe dream? Two former public toilets are going under the hammer with Savills next week, both with potential for future development.

The first, on Robson Road in West Norwood, has a guide price of £150,000, and is marketed as a “rare and unique opportunity” – one which is not to be sniffed at.

Built in the 1920s, according to planning documents, these subterranean male and female WCs have been out of use since the 1980s.

Lambeth Council listed the toilets for sale —alongside many others in the borough— in 1998; in 2015, they sold to their current owners who gained planning permission to turn them into a quirky café.

Robson Road's public toilets have not been used since the mid-80s (Savills)

Planning documents show that the owners planned to renovate and redesign the toilets using reclaimed materials, creating a space which could accommodate up to 30 people and adding in a courtyard garden.

They planned to use Lamp Architects, who previously transformed a former public toilet in Crystal Palace into a compact, award-winning one-bedroom flat.

Plans were approved in 2016, and the owners made a series of upgrades to the space in preparation, including replacing the pavement lights, repairing the surrounding tarmac and installing 3-phase power to the building.

Today, photos show that the space has been partially cleared, with lightwells and white brick walls giving it a light, airy quality. The urinals, though, still stand.

Nevertheless, the owners’ plans did not go ahead, and the toilets have now been listed for sale.

The toilets' applied for planning permission to turn the building into a quirky café (Savills)

Across town on the Isle of Dogs, there’s another toilet up for grabs. Located on Manchester Road, this 1,040 square-foot space has a guide price of £110,000.

The toilets, housed in an above-ground building, were built after the First World War, and eventually fell into disuse, to the dismay of local residents.

In 2012, a local blog reports that residents applied for the building to gain listed status in an attempt to protect it, but it did not meet the criteria.

Two years later, islanders started a petition for greater public toilet provision in Island Gardens, gaining 132 signatories. And in 2019, local campaigners attempted to raise £25,000 to re-open the Manchester Road toilet.

“Many islanders would love to see the toilets reopened again, not only as there is no public toilets available anywhere on the island but [because of the] historical memories it holds since the war," campaign leader Lorraine Cavanagh told the East London Advertiser at the time. “There were attempts to get the building listed in order to protect it but [it was] not considered that there was anything special about the building that should be preserved.”

Residents previously applied to get the building listed status in an attempt to protect it (Savills)

In 2006, the toilets were transferred to the housing association East End Homes as part of an estate stock transfer to support regeneration and improvements to homes in the area.

According to Savills, they are “suitable for a variety of different uses”, depending on planning permission, but may be “subject to a clawback agreement in favour of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets”.

Both former toilets will be auctioned by Savills on Tuesday 21 October. Both are presented as development opportunities, with potential to follow in the footsteps of The Attendant coffee shop in Fitzrovia or Clapham and Bloomsbury’s WC bars.

“It’s not every day you see public toilets come to auction, which is exactly what makes these lots so intriguing,” says Max Mason at Savills auctions. “Unusual properties like this often spark creative interest from buyers – whether for redevelopment, repurposing, or simply as a unique investment opportunity.

“The compact size and discreet location of the Robson Road WCs, for example, could lend itself to a snug bar, café, or studio space. With its central position and existing infrastructure, it presents genuine potential for transformation.

“Larger sites, such as the Manchester Road convenience, offer scope for more ambitious redevelopment – perhaps boutique offices or even a destination restaurant.

“Given their rarity and the success others have had in reimagining similar sites across London, we expect strong interest in both lots as we approach our second October auction.”