Plans have been submitted to turn a public toilet into a one bedroom apartment in a Co Tyrone town.
The public loo on the Omagh Road in Drumquin was put up for sale by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council earlier this year for between £15,000 and £20,000.
The new owner of the building has submitted plans for a one bed, one bath apartment at the premises, understood to be a first in the north of a public toilet being converted into accommodation.
While initially listed for sale as a commercial premises, its new owner says the building is more suited to residential living.
However, objections have been lodged from some local residents while Northern Ireland Water has recommended planners refuse the application.
The final decision on whether planning permission can be granted for change of use at the site falls with the local council’s planning department.
A supporting letter from the applicant says the apartment would be a “sustainable, well integrated addition to the village”.
“The building is already connected to public utilities with electric and drainage connections already in place,” the letter states.
“The change of use from a public toilet to a 1 bedroom / 1 person unit of accommodation will not create any additional loading to the existing infrastructure.
“The proposal is a sustainable well integrated addition to the village contributing to local housing need. Due to its central location it is very accessible, being within walking distance of the village amenities on offer.
“The proposal is designed to a high standard and will be a positive addition to the locality.”
However, plans for the apartment could be scuppered over fears of a lack of wastewater capacity.
As part of the consultation on the planning application, NI Water has recommended refusal of planning permission due to “no available capacity in the downstream wastewater infrastructure, and no viable developer led solution available to achieve a foul connection.”
“Wastewater treatment capacity at the Wastewater Treatment Works named above is not available at present to service the proposed development,” NI Water wrote in its response.
“The public system cannot presently serve this development proposal without significant risk of environmental harm.
“NI Water has no confirmed plans within its current investment cycle to upgrade the wastewater system in this drainage area and is recommending connections to the system are curtailed.
“Additionally, the part of the catchment that this proposal would connect to is currently closed to all new connections due to foul network capacity constraints.”