The facility was erected outside property in south London last summer for drivers of 312 bus route which terminates there.
A man has complained that nobody will buy his house because Transport for London erected a lavatory for bus drivers at the end of his driveway.
The convenience was erected outside the home of Brett Kemp, 53, in Purley, south London, last summer for drivers of the 312 bus route, which terminates there.
“I want to sell it but, obviously, I can’t sell it with a big bog out there – and it’s a big grey old thing,” said Mr Kemp.
A temporary cabin had originally been installed directly next to the driveway before it was replaced with a larger facility for bus drivers, he said.
“It’s bigger than the original one. They put one in July, which was white and had ‘toilet’ written all over it,” said Mr Kemp. “Then they replaced it with a double-the-size toilet. Great.”
Mr Kemp bought the property in 2013 to rent it out before deciding to sell after interest rates spiked into double digits last year.
“Obviously I’m looking to seek compensation for it – I can’t sell the house. It’s empty, big mortgage arrears on it creeping up. I want to get rid of it, sell it.”
“It’s up [for sale] for £625,000 but I don’t think I could get £400,000 for it at the moment with that toilet outside.”
Bus drivers have long complained of a lack of toilets at the ends of their routes, with a protest march taking place in central London last month demanding TfL do more to provide them with suitable facilities.
‘Pick it up and move it’
When asked how TfL should solve the problem, Mr Kemp said: “Just get the forklift like you did when you dumped it there in July last year and move it 30 yards. That’s what you need to do – pick it up and move it.
“When it [first] happened I was saying a few comments about [TfL chairman Sir Sadiq] Khan but obviously if it was outside his house it would be moved before it even got there.”
“Because it’s a family home, four or five bedrooms and there’s a school opposite, I need to get that spot in the year where it’s sellable, which is now.
“People are looking around now to March, April, give or take, to move [house] in July or August, so as not to disrupt the schooling of their kids. If this drags on another two or three months, I’ve lost another year of potentially trying to sell that property.”
The house has been listed for sale since October 2023. It is described as a “beautifully presented four bedroom, two bathroom, semi-detached family home with off-street parking, a large private garden and no onward chain” but makes no mention of the lavatory located outside.
The homeowner claimed last year that he and his neighbours were neither warned nor consulted before the installation of a temporary portable loo, which he said at the time “stinks” and looks “truly awful”.
A TfL spokesman said: “Plans to move the toilet to a permanent site following the temporary location are currently being finalised. It is essential for bus driver welfare that we maintain access to toilet facilities for drivers.
“We have been in regular contact with Mr Kemp on our plans and are now updating him on the latest. We apologise that this has taken some time but we need to make sure the move is right for drivers and the community.”
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