Derelict toilet block to become upmarket seafood bar

A disused toilet block on an Edinburgh promenade is to be transformed into an upmarket seafood bar selling fish and chips.

The owners of The Boathouse, a restaurant and bar which opened at the opposite end of the promenade last year, have bought the lease on the facilities on Portobello Promenade, Jopaa.

The building, which was closed by the council in 2016, faces the Firth of Forth and fronts on to a wide sandy beach.

On The Boathouse’s Facebook page, its new owners posted saying: “I guess it's no secret that we were the successful bidders for the lease on the former public toilet facility at Joppa. We hope to open this summer and you'll be pleased to know that we will be honouring the terms of our lease and making our toilets available to the public, something that end of the promenade desperately needs.

“Beyond that, we have very exciting plans to transform the building into an upmarket seafood bar. Alongside traditional fish and chips, we will be offering a selection of fresh fish and seafood, cooked to order. We'll show you some drawings once they are finalised but I promise you it's going to be very special."

The owners went on to ask the public to put forward names for the new business with suggestions including 'The Wee Big Lobster', 'The Public Plaice' and 'Pisscatarian' before settling on 'On the Rocks'.