A decision to shut public bathrooms in Dublin city centre is being called ‘ridiculous’.
The city council will close the only city centre loos outside St. Stephens Green, because it says not enough people are availing of them, and it’s proving too costly to keep up maintenance.
It plans to introduce proposals for alternative facilities later this year.
The temporary bathrooms at St Stephen’s Green, which opened during covid, are to close.
The facility – a cabin-like structure located beside the entrance to St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre at the top of Grafton Street – was originally constructed in 2020 as a temporary measure at the height of the covid pandemic.
It was intended to plug the sanitary gap left by retail and hospitality spaces which were forced to close under strict lockdown measures.
A similar facility was established in Wolfe Tone Square at the same time, but was closed in 2022 due to anti-social behaviour complaints.
According to a Dublin City Council (DCC) report to be presented to councillors on Monday, the St. Stephen’s Green facility accommodated around 20,000 people per week in 2021, but that figure has now dropped to roughly 1,500.
In addition to the cost of maintaining the toilets, reported to be around €400,000 per year, the operator of the unit which provided all security functions has since ceased trading, leading the DCC to the decision to remove the installation.
The report claims the council’s waste management service had sought alternative toilet installations in the city, but was warned by a potential service provider that installing automated toilets in the city centre was not advisable due to “the significant risk associated with anti-social activity”.
However, this claim does not wash with Green Party councillor for Dublin South East Inner City, Claire Byrne, who says the decision is “shortsighted”.
“I don’t buy the anti social behavior argument,” she said.
“Dublin just seems to fail every single time. We’re stuck in these constant pilot temporary solutions, and nothing ever really gets properly done. This is just another example of that.”
She added: “I think it’s shortsighted, and it’s just not meeting the basic needs of the city.”
Byrne also attacked the DCC’s publically stated justification for removing the toilets.
“I know they’re citing the costs, but that’s not news. We’ve known the costs for a long time.
“We do need to ask why it’s costing €400,000 per year to run the facility. Surely the operator pulling out presents an opportunity to secure a more cost-effective provider rather than just closing it down.”
Byrne criticised how the council is pointing to lower demand from members of the public as a sound reason to shut down the public facility.
“They’re citing a drop in usage numbers down to 1,500 people a week using them, but that’s still 1,500 people who clearly have to access the toilet.”
The issue will be discussed further on Monday at a meeting of the Dublin South East Area Committee.
