Agenda item

With reference to article 21 of the minute of its meeting of 19 November, 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Housing and Environment which advised of the outcome of the public toilet review, and proposed a way forward in order to improve existing public toilet facilities throughout the city.

By way of background the report advised that the provision of public toilets was not a statutory function of a local authority, but was seen as a matter of importance for both residents and visitors to the city. The report outlined the range of toilets available to the public including stand alone toilets made available by the Council, and facilities in supermarkets and shopping centres; and further advised that Aberdeen had 13 public toilets that were well managed and maintained, and four of which (Upperkirkgate, Footdee, Chapel Street and Beach Central) had won Loo of the Year awards in 2009. The report continued that there were many other sites throughout the city that had been public toilets in the past, but that these were generally old, in poor condition, and would not meet today’s accepted standards.

The report outlined the progress made to date on upgrading facilities; and highlighted that Automatic Public Conveniences (APCs) had been situated at Duthie Park, Victoria Park and Seaton Park since March, 2008. These units were coin operated, fully automatic, self cleaning, public conveniences, and exceeded specification for a DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant toilet.

The report presented a costed options appraisal of the four options regarding the future of public toilets in the city, namely (1) close all public toilets; (2) continue the service as it currently stands; (3) retain existing public toilets, adding 24/7 facilities in the city centre and priority locations (including city parks) and introduce a community toilet scheme across the city; or (4) retain the existing public toilets with the addition of new public toilet facilities and APC units across the city.

Appended to the report were (a) a list of the existing operating toilet facilities within the city, and details of the opening times in this regard; (b) a table detailing all toilet facilities that were open and property sites that had in the past been utilised as public toilets, together with a grading for each property; (c) details of the refurbishment programme undertaken on existing public toilet facilities; and (d) the costed options appraisal regarding the four options detailed within the report.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:

(a)       notes the progress and improvements made to date with Aberdeen’s public toilets;

(b)       approves option three as detailed within the report; to retain existing public toilets, adding 24/7 facilities in the city centre and priority locations (including city parks) and introduce a community toilet scheme across the city, as the preferred option for the long term strategy for public toilets in Aberdeen;

(c)        instructs the Director of Housing and Environment to report back next cycle with a detailed, costed business analysis having taken into consideration the potential influence and implications of the City Centre Development Framework ( article 14 of the meeting of Council of 19 May, 2010 refers) on option three as detailed within the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the progress and improvements made to date with Aberdeen’s public toilets;

(ii)        to approve the retention of existing public toilets and the addition of 24/7 APC facilities in the city centre and priority locations;

(iii)       to instruct the Director of Housing and Environment to report back after the summer recess with a detailed, costed business analysis, taking into consideration the potential influence and implications of the City Centre Development Framework on resolution (ii), above;

(iv)       to instruct the Director of Housing and Environment to report back in one year detailing any opportunities there may be to provide public toilet facilities in communities who have a longstanding wish for pubic toilets;

(v)        to instruct a report back providing (1) more details on the community toilet scheme, and (2) alternative options in this regard, including the possibility of capitalising the revenue money that would be required for the scheme, to develop public toilets in the areas they are required; and

(vi)       to request that officers consider opening existing public toilets (as detailed at appendix 1) until 8pm, rather than 5.30pm.