Exeter city centre toilets could become falafel outlet

They were closed in 2019

Derelict public toilets in Exeter city centre could be transformed into a street food takeaway selling falafel, halloumi and hummus.

They are located at Blackboy Road, just off the roundabout at the top of Sidwell Street.

Applicant Falafelco has submitted a proposal to the city council which it says would provide ‘a fresh, healthy, and entirely vegetarian’ street-food takeaway.

It says the old toilet block would be sensitively converted to transform a disused and neglected site into a sustainable new venture with a ‘positive, active community use’.

The business will create local employment, says the applicant, and support regional suppliers where possible. It will focus on minimising environmental and amenity impact.

Falafelco intends to commission a mural to liven up the site, and says it will appeal to students, office workers, residents, visitors and tourists.

The core menu would consist of fresh falafel sandwiches, wraps and salad boxes as well as halloumi dishes, home-made hummus, chips and soft drinks. No meat products would be handled or sold.

Recyclable and compostable packaging would be used wherever possible, with the aim of minimising single-use plastic. Customers who bring their own cups or food containers would get a discount.

The plan is to open from 10am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays.

The application says: “Falafelco represents a sustainable, community-focused, and commercially viable use for a long-derelict site.”

Planning permission was refused for a previous application on the site in 2024. That application sought to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new structure. It was turned down because the city council felt it was too big and would harm the character of the local area.

The latest application proposes to retain the existing building. The site is close to a historic chapel, wall and alms houses, as well as a granite water trough which serves as a memorial to Arthur Kempe, who was a 19th Century surgeon, magistrate, churchman and philanthropist.