Star chef’s toilet ban blamed for £280k Conwy council spend

A celebrity chef who does not let non-customers use his restaurant’s toilets has been blamed for a north Wales council spending £280,000 on new public loos next door.

The bistro in Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, run by Great British Menu chef Bryn Williams, already has toilets, but they are not fully open to the public due to a private lease.

Councillor Cheryl Carlisle said the existing facilities should be made public instead of using taxpayer money on building new ones.

Conwy council said it secured funding, but how the money will be spent is still under discussion.

Williams, who is from nearby town Denbigh, has received three Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for the bistro.

It comes after his famous Odette’s restaurant in the Primrose Hill area of London closed its doors for the last time in May last year, after more than 15 years of service.

Mr Williams only allows paying customers to use the toilets at his restaurant, even though he leases the entire council-built building, including the facilities.

Ms Carlisle said it was “astonishing” that Conwy council got a Welsh government grant for new toilets when public money already funded those inside Porth Eirias.

She argued the existing toilets should be open to all, not just chef Bryn Williams’ customers, and the grant should have upgraded the nearby Dingle toilets.

She also criticised Conwy for shifting costs to Colwyn Bay town council, adding pressure on “our already hard-pressed council-tax payers”.

Conwy council said it was moving forward with its new “Local Toilet Strategy” after last year it closed 19 of 40 public toilets to save money.

It now works with its community councils to share costs and has promised to keep toilets in its buildings, like it’s HQ, Coed Pella and libraries, open to the public.

The council added the Dingle toilets are free and open to the public, while Porth Eirias facilities are for clothed visitors using the building, “not people who are wet or excessively sandy”.

The matter is set to be discussed at the economy and place committee on 22 September.

Chef Bryn Williams’ Porth Eirias restaurant was also contacted for a comment.