You may have read or heard about our new Silver Street public toilets in the news or on social media.  

Silver Street Bridge, opposite Queens’ College and overlooking the Mill Pond, is a hot spot for international tourists visiting the city. 

The 1980s-built toilets have been closed for an extended period as they were no longer fit for purpose. The high footfall meant that the toilets were regularly left in a poor condition and difficult to keep clean.

In recognition of the specific high demand from tourists and visitors in the area, the council has now completed a £1 million project to provide new, modern facilities to support the visitor economy.

It has done so in a way that should mean suitable, clean facilities can be provided, taking pressure off local hospitality businesses whose toilets may otherwise be used by arriving visitors, without relying on council tax payers to fund the cleaning of these facilities. 

The facilities 

13 different toilets are available in total.  

• Below street level, the main redeveloped toilet area offers six seated toilets, three urinals, and three squat-style toilets that many of the international visitors using the facilities will prefer
• At street level on the bridge, there is a wheelchair accessible seated toilet.

Baby-changing facilities are also provided. 

The facilities will be staffed for three hours a day in the morning and three hours a day in the afternoon to ensure the facilities are kept clean – this is due to the higher than usual level of demand expected at these facilities.  

Charges 

We have multiple public toilets across the city, which are all free to use, except for the new Silver Street toilets.  

At Silver Street we are asking visitors to pay a £1 charge to use the toilets. The facility accepts contactless payment methods, including bank cards and mobile payment services. Charging in this way is a common practice in many tourist destinations around the world.  

This fee is a one-off for Silver Street toilets, to help cover the costs of the more frequent cleaning schedule, without passing those costs on to Cambridge residents.

Correcting a few myths

• It is not correct that the charge has been introduced to pay for the construction of the new facilities; the charge is intended to help cover the costs of keeping the facilities clean.

• It is not correct that only squat style toilets have been provided; 13 toilets are available in total: three urinals; seven seated toilets, including the wheelchair accessible toilet; and three squat toilets.

• The council does not have to provide public toilets; providing toilets isn't a statutory duty, and many councils across the country face rising costs, increased demand for services, and reductions in funding. However, we want to provide the right toilets in the right places and we are doing everything we can to keep the rest of our public toilets free to use.