‘Our priority should be getting to all of these potholes’ – council at odds over proposal for public toilets
Plans for a public toilet in south Dublin have been opposed by some councillors who are concerned about anti-social behaviour and high costs.
In response to a 2020 motion from Social Democrat councillor Eoin Ó Broin asking for fourteen public toilets across South Dublin County Council’s (SDCC) remit, the local authority presented councillors with 11 possible sites in Clondalkin village for a new public toilet.
“I have huge concerns about a public toilet being placed anywhere," said Independent councillor for Clondalkin Francis Timmons at an SDCC meeting.
“If this is open at night, there will be huge anti-social behaviour. During the day, we have toilets in The Mill (shopping centre), I’ve never seen the local coffee shop or pubs refusing anyone.
“They were all taken away in the eighties and nineties – the cleaning, maintenance, anti-social behaviour, the activities that go on around – it was just a nightmare. I have a lot of concerns around this – I didn’t vote in favour of it, I didn’t think it was a good idea at the time.”
An SDCC manager presented councillors with six locations assessed as suitable for a single unisex public toilet modelled after those seen in cities like Paris, managed by a coin-operated system.
Mr Ó Broin said the toilets should be open late into the night.
“To me, a public toilet is a basic human right – you shouldn’t have to go to a café with your tail between your legs. It’s a small investment considering it would benefit thousands of people,” he said.
“I brought a motion looking for 14 public toilets across the county – two in each village. Management has come back with these proposals which I’m delighted to see.
“It should be open until 2am or 24 hours. It’s a step towards getting more footfall in the village because vulnerable people who have to plan their journey because of issues with such services can at least know where there’s a toilet there.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Trevor Gilligan said a new public toilet would steer funds away from repairing potholes and placing more bins.
“I think it would be a huge cost to have this plumbed into the existing sewage line, we’re not talking a few 100 quid here,” he said.
“Recently, I was cycling and there was a massive pothole on my way, potholes that have been repaired are now cracking, I don’t know how much money this will cost but our priority should be getting to all of these potholes before we even consider any toilets anywhere.
“There are many shops where you can use the toilet and people might buy a coffee, aren’t we hindering business also to have just one specific toilet?”
The SDCC manager said that if councillors agree on a suitable location, work will progress.
“It hasn’t been costed yet but ideally, it should be a revenue generator to cover its own cost,” said the manager.
“You have to strike a balance between having a public amenity that’s good versus one that gets abused – generally people come out of pubs or congregate in the evenings – so we will look at how to balance that.”