Two brand new sets of toilets will be installed in Knights Park this summer, via a much-needed university refurbishment costing £130,000.

The toilets behind the Student Union bar will be replaced by Kingston University Services Company (KUSCO), and the ones opposite the Foodstore by Property Management and Development (PMD).

Tim Bretherick, General Manager of KUSCO, said: “It is very important for the University to give students the best student experience. Hopefully, if we give students nice and clean surroundings and services, they’ll treat them decently.”

The existing two ladies toilets, one gents and two urinals in the SU bar will be replaced with four ladies, three gents, five urinals and a disabled toilet.

The new toilets will also be kitted out with four wash basins in the ladies, three in the gents and a hand dryer in each.

The old toilets were designed up to prison specifications standard by the then head of services, Alan Green, due to the huge vandalism problems that existed in Knights Park toilets.

While the Knights Park bar manager refused to comment, Yaz Kulasi, a second year Film Studies student said: “I love Knights Park bar, but when it comes to the toilets, they are disgusting. I go round and use the toilets in the other parts of the university, I totally avoid them. It’s also down to students abusing them but at the same time they should be cleaner and more useable.”

Following an AGM motion, the Student Union will launch a campaign to promote the better use of the toilets to prevent blockage and smells that arise.

Mark Callaby, VP Communications and Campaigns, said: “This basically means that the Student Union is campaigning for the next three years to promote better use of the toilets, including lobbying the university at relevant meetings to improve the situation.”

In the ladies, there has been a MDF wall dividing the toilets for over a year, which absorbs bad odours. And over the past fortnight, the ladies’ became unisex due to a leakage in the gents, and nothing was done to improve the situation by KUSCO during that time, according to one Knights Park student, Kat Johnston. 

Miss Johnston, a second year Fine Art student, said: “The whole site is absolutely appalling. I’ve brought it up at countless student rep meetings. It’s shocking – there’s a 1,000 to 1 ratio of students to toilets, you can imagine the Fresher’s Week queues! It makes me sick.” 

Mr. Bretherick added that KUSCO have recently undertaken a large condition survey of the whole estate, which will show which areas need refurbishment next. The results will be published in one month’s time.