Dublin City Council (DCC) is advancing proposals to introduce concierge-style public toilets in the heart of the capital, transforming vacant retail units into staffed facilities offering restrooms, bag drop services and visitor assistance.
The initiative, backed by business representative group DublinTown, aims to address the long-standing shortage of public toilets in the city centre while enhancing services for tourists and locals alike. Under the plan, empty commercial premises would be repurposed into high-quality amenities staffed by attendants who could also provide directions and general information.
A spokesperson for DCC confirmed that the council hopes to present firm proposals in the coming weeks, with the objective of appointing a service provider and manufacturer before the end of the year.
The concept of concierge-style toilets was first floated several years ago by DublinTown, but earlier attempts to gauge interest from the retail sector met with limited success. In a report published last year, DCC’s Director of Services, Derek Woods, revealed that efforts to engage property owners and commercial operators had yielded little response.
“Two submissions were received from recognised service providers and manufacturers of public toilets across the UK and Europe,” Mr Woods stated in the report. “Neither submission proposed a permanent retail or commercial unit as a potential location, nor did they suggest a joint venture. Additionally, the owners of retail/commercial units did not respond to the market consultation.”
He concluded that the feedback demonstrated a clear reluctance within the sector. “There is no appetite or desire from the retail/commercial sector to locate public toilets within their existing units,” he wrote.
Despite that setback, the council is pressing ahead with broader plans to improve public toilet provision across the commercial district. In June, proposals were unveiled for four modular on-street toilet units, to be installed at South King Street, Barnardo Square, O’Connell Street and Smithfield Square. The project is expected to cost €5.7 million over five years, with installations scheduled for the second or third quarter of this year.
In addition, public toilets are planned for the newly pedestrianised College Green plaza, potentially bringing the number of purpose-built facilities in the central area to five.
Dublin once had more than 60 dedicated on-street public toilets in the 1970s. However, widespread vandalism and anti-social behaviour led to their gradual closure by the late 1990s. The latest proposals mark a renewed effort to restore accessible facilities in a rapidly growing city centre.
