A new toilet for people with complex disabilities has opened in Barnstaple town centre.

A new Changing Places toilet has been installed in Green Lanes Shopping Centre near the existing toilet facilities. It is one of three new Changing Places facilities to open across North Devon alongside toilets at Parkdean Resorts and Arlington Court.

Changing Places toilets are designed for people with multiple and complex needs who are unable to use standard accessible toilets and need space for one or two assistants or care providers.

They must include a height-adjustable adult sized changing bench, a ceiling track hoist system, adequate space for the disabled person and up to two assistants, a privacy screen, wide paper roll, a large waste disposal bin and a washbasin which is preferably height adjustable.

North Devon Council was awarded £132,600 from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' Changing Places Toilets programme. The council, Parkdean and the National Trust provided match funding and the money was split evenly to deliver facilities to the three venues.

The council has worked in partnership with the Green Lanes team to deliver the project. Grills Renovations and Refurbishment were appointed to build the new toilet. Advice was gained from a Changing Places support officer and equipment was supplied by Aster Bannerman.

Elsewhere, new public conveniences have also opened at Barnstaple Pannier Market as part of the refurbishment that has been carried out through the Market Quarter regeneration project.

Leader of North Devon Council, Councillor Ian Roome, says: "This new Changing Places toilet is a real asset for Barnstaple town centre. We want Barnstaple to be a place that everyone can visit and enjoy, and feel comfortable and reassured knowing there are appropriate good quality facilities to suit their needs.

"The facility in Green Lanes, as well as those at Arlington Court and at Ruda, mean those with disabilities are able to enjoy North Devon and stay out for longer, participate in more activities and feel more included in our communities."

The new facility at Green Lanes can be found on the Changing Places toilets map, along with all other registered facilities in the United Kingdom.