A town’s public loos, which closed three years ago, could have a bright new future.

The public conveniences in the car park off Rocfort Road in Snodland used to be run by Tonbridge and Malling council.

The borough council took the decision to close them because of the high cost of maintenance and increasing incidents of anti-social behaviour.

But now there is a plan to turn the building into a food bank and community hub.

The project is a joint venture between Snodland Town Council and the Clarion Housing Association and will likely involve several community groups.

Cllr David Lettington is chairman of the town council. He said: “TMBC [Tonbridge and Mailling Borough Council] asked us if we wanted to take over the running of the public conveniences. We were reluctant to do that for the same reason that the borough wanted to give them up.

“There are, in addition, more cafes and places in Snodland these days where the public can use the toilet, so the need is not as great as it once was.

“But we told the borough we could make use of the building as a community hub, and they agreed to lease it to us at a peppercorn rent.”

Clarion, the local housing association, has agreed to fund the conversion of the building and a planning application has just been submitted to the planning authority.

Cllr Lettington said: “Everything is at a very early stage at the moment.

“There are several foodbanks operating alerady in Snodland, but they are on rather an ad hoc basis.

“We think the converted loos could be used to bring them together in a central part of town.”

“We are also looking at perhaps being able to provide housing advice or financial advice in the same building, which might open perhaps three days a week.”

The plans can be viewed on the Tonbridge and Malling council website, under application number 24/01129.

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.

There is no date yet in mind for the community hub to open.