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Improving visitor facilities at Morston Quay

A computer generated image of the planned new black timber clad toilet block showing part of the car park in the foreground and the Lookout Building and masts of boats in the distance.
The proposed new toilet building is smaller than previously planned with one third (37 percent) less floorspace | © Eggbox Studios Ltd

We are pleased to share with the local community, stakeholders and visitors, our revised proposals for accessible toilets and other accessibility improvements at Morston Quay.

We withdrew our original planning application in May 2025 to take on board the comments we received and have drawn up new proposals to reflect these. 

Accessible toilets with a Changing Places facility 

Our proposal includes a new toilet block to replace the current temporary portacabins. This would contain male and female toilets, disabled toilets, a toilet for staff and volunteers, baby changing space, and a Changing Places facility. The facilities would also be made more resilient through improvements to the sewerage network on site. 

Temporary buildings currently on site at Morston Quay.
The temporary toilet building which we hope to replace with a permanent building providing better and more accessible toilet facilities for visitors | © Richard Steer

What is a Changing Places facility?

Changing Places provide the space and equipment to enable those with complex needs to use the toilet safely, in comfort and with dignity. This Changing Places facility would be fitted with a disabled toilet, an adult changing bench, a hoist, with sufficient space for a wheelchair and up to 2 carers.

These new facilities would increase our capacity to meet the demand for toilets at peak visiting times, whilst providing facilities that are fully accessible to visitors with access and health requirements. 

Changes following feedback on our earlier plans: 

  • We have reduced the size of the building by removing the welcome area and office space. 

  • We have changed the design to incorporate black timber cladding to reflect the existing Lookout building. 

Computer generated image showing how the black timber clad building would look from the corner of the Lookout Building, with visitors and the coast path in the foreground and beyond them the car park.
How the proposed new toilet building would look from the corner of the Lookout Building | © Eggbox Studios Ltd

Car park improvements 

Improvements we would like to make to the car park include providing dedicated accessible parking spaces, improving the drainage, providing an EV charging point and introducing coastal appropriate planting to break up and delineate the car park.  

Every effort has been made to retain as much of the current layout, materials, look and feel of the existing car park as possible. 

Changes following feedback on our earlier plans: 

  • Softer edging to the car park rows, using coastal appropriate planting rather than just wooden barriers. 

  • There was a concern that our original plans included significant changes to the car park. While we still propose modifying the layout of the car park, so that we can incorporate accessible parking spaces, we would like to clarify that we do not plan to change the car park surface or mark out individual bays (except for accessible parking spaces, using subtle markings to delineate these spaces). 

Aerial view showing the size and position of the new toilet building in relation to the rest of the Morston Quay site
Aerial view showing the size and position of the new toilet building in relation to the rest of the Morston Quay site | © Eggbox Studios Ltd

Landscaping and accessible footpaths 

Modest re-landscaping of the site is proposed, primarily to allow for an accessible wheelchair-friendly path to connect the accessible car parking spaces with visitor facilities (e.g. new toilets, Lookout Building and kiosk).   

The exact route of the accessible path is still under consideration, and we will take into consideration the comments we receive as part of our engagement on the proposals with the community and regulators.    

Changes following feedback on our earlier plans:  

  • In making accessibility improvements we will plan any changes, such as new access ramps, to ensure these do not have a detrimental visual impact.               

Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question? 

We welcome questions on any aspect of our proposals. If you would like to ask us a question not covered in the FAQs above, then please get in touch with us at norfolkcoast@nationaltrust.org.uk.  

Next steps 

The feedback we receive at this stage will be taken into consideration as we finalise a formal planning application, which we plan to submit to North Norfolk District Council in the coming months.  

At that point, the planning application will be subject to public consultation by the Local Planning Authority. 

Latest news

5 September 2025

Community drop-in event

Members of the local community are invited to a drop-in event at Morston Quay on Thursday 18 September, from 4pm to 7pm.

We will be sharing our revised proposals for accessible toilets (including Changing Places facility) and other improvements to the accessibility of the site.

The National Trust has listened to feedback on our earlier plans and this is an opportunity for you to see our revised proposals and to let us know what you think.

Please note that the community drop-in will now be held in Morston Village Hall.

The Lookout Building at Morston Quay.
As the weather is forecast to be breezy on Thursday, the community drop-in will now be held in Morston Village Hall. | © Richard Steer
View of footpath in front of the Lookout Building at Morston Quay
The Lookout building at Morston Quay | © Richard Steer