Edinburgh stands by pub loo capacity policy

Edinburgh City Council is standing by moves to cut capacity at pubs over lack of toilet provision — despite relenting at one venue after its owner sought legal action.

The Council's is demanding that pubs have one toilet for every 30 customers, based on the assumption that half of the customers would be female, because of new building regulations.

Pub operator Caledonian Heritable took the Council's Licensing Board to court after it was ordered to cut capacity at its Pear Tree pub from 412 to 200.

But the pub can now return to its original capacity after the case was settled out of court. The Council also paid the company's legal fees.

The case could lead to a series of similar legal cases by licensees and operators who have been forced to make costly adaptations to their venues.

It's believed that as many as 100 other pubs could take action.

However, a spokesman for Edinburgh City Council said: "We have no change in our policy and we will continue to enforce that policy."

Cllr Marjorie Thomas, the city's licensing leader, said: "We have spent the last three years implementing the new Licensing Act and part of the legislation involves public health and sanitary provision.

"We work closely with licensees, and where there are listed building issues or premises of an historic nature we try to find an equitable solution.

"Work is ongoing and the bottom line is that the Board has a duty to implement the Act and we intend to do so."