The idea of a pay-per-use toilet system in the region appears to have been temporarily shelved by Bendigo council, as it considers partnering with businesses to improve public access to toilets in the municipality.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The City of Greater Bendigo public toilet strategy, which will be debated by councillors at a meeting on Wednesday evening, recommends a community toilet scheme trial, whereby organisations could be given incentives to open their loos up to the public.
As part of a potential trial, council could offer businesses rate reductions or tax incentives to share their facilities.
The strategy suggests council offer an annual servicing fee for cleaning and maintenance or provide toilet paper and soap to partnering businesses.
Toilet talk proved popular with residents with 890 ratepayers providing feedback to the council’s draft public toilet strategy, released in October.
The draft strategy indicated the pay-per-use idea would be monitored, as across the world “local councils charge a small fee to allow the public to use municipal toilets”, however there is no mention of the idea in the updated strategy.
Results of a Bendigo Advertiser poll during the same month indicated residents were not happy to pay to use public toilets, with 62 per cent of the 460 participants against the idea.
Of the 55 recommendations in the strategy, the community felt the public toilets in most need of an upgrade were:
- Hargreaves Mall
- Lake Weeroona
- Hargreaves Street multi-storey car park
Of the 54 public toilets in the municipality, including seven public toilets in rural areas that the city does not own or manage, the most used were:
- Market Place (non-council owned)
- Lyttleton Terrace (near Coles supermarket)
- Lake Weeroona
- Myer (non-council owned)
- Bendigo library
Just over 80 per cent of people preferred designated male and female cubicles, versus 16.3 per cent who favoured unisex toilets.
In the current financial year, $90,000 has been allocated by council for public toilet renewal, while $300,000 is set aside for Heathcote public toilet renewal and $680,000 for QEO kiosk and toilet upgrades.
The council envisages the public toilet renewal program will cost an estimated $8 million over the next 10 years.
The state government has committed $100,000 for a Changing Places facility in Bendigo, which will be in the Hargreaves Street multi-storey car park.
